By Tennis Now | Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Justin Gimelstob pled not guilty to felony aggravated battery in a Halloween assault, while prosecutors claim they have video evidence of the assault.

The Tennis Channel analyst and ATP board member made his initial court appearance in Los Angeles today where he pled not guilty to the felony battery with serious bodily injury charge.

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If convicted, the 41-year-old Gimelstob faces up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for the alleged Halloween attack on venture capitalist Randall Kaplan.

Gimelstob, who formerly coached John Isner, is due back in court on January 31st.

Prosecutors gave Gimelstob's attorney, Shawn Holley, a copy of what they say is a video of the assault.

Judge Keith L Schwartz ordered Gimelstob to stay away from Randall Kaplan and his wife Madison Kaplan, The Telegraph's Josh Boswell reports.

“You are ordered to stay away from Madison Kaplan and also Randall Kaplan. No contact of any kind do you understand that?” the judge told Gimelstob, according to The Telegraph report.



In a bizarre story, Gimelstob, reportedly dressed as a pilot from the film Top Gun, allegedly snuck up behind Kaplan, who was walking with his wife and and two-year-old daughter in Los Angeles at about 6:30 on Halloween night.

Gimelstob allegedly attacked Kaplan from behind striking him 50 times and threatening to "f--king kill" him, Kaplan told police.

Kaplan, a former friend of Gimelstob and a friend of Gimelstob's estranged wife, Cary, alleges the former UCLA all American had previously threatened him. Kaplan claims he contacted Gimelstob's attorney to ask him to stop making threats. Kaplan has a restraining order against Gimelstob.

Cary Gimelstob filed a domestic violence restraining order against estranged husband Justin in 2016, alleging he “physically assaulted, harassed, verbally attacked and stole,” according to The Los Angeles Times.

According to the domestic restraining order Cary Gimelstob filed on the weekend of December 5-7th, 2015: "Justin physically assaulted me twice in front of our son … Justin also informed me that he had placed a video recording device in my bedroom and had recordings of me having sex with another man and intended to show them to [their son] … Justin also broke into the house I was living in and threatened to continue breaking into the house I was living in in the future.”

In a detailed Facebook post, Gimelstob disputed his estranged wife's claims, as well as other allegations of violence.



Gimelstob, who has taken a leave of absence from his role as a Tennis Channel analyst, is free on $50,000 bail.

A member of the ATP board of directors since 2008, Gimelstob was reportedly positioned as heir apparent to Chris Kermode as future ATP President.