Fritz Lee cops suspended prison sentence after post-match celebration turned violent – report

Lawrence Nolan 23 Jun 2025 4:18 PM

Fritz Lee has copped a three-month suspended prison sentence for assaulting a waitress in France last October.

The 2023 Rugby World Cup representative with Samoa was celebrating following Clermont’s Top 14 win over Vannes when his night out took an unfortunate turn.

The 36-year-old back-row, who has since left his team following a lengthy 12-year stay, was initially taken into police custody in December where he admitted to clashing with a 20-year-old waitress.

The case finally came before the Clermont-Ferrand court on Monday, resulting in a suspended sentence, a one-year ban on possessing a firearm, a six-month ineligibility period, and a fine.

L’Equipe reported: “The victim, at whom he had thrown a chair, suffered a dislocated elbow and was prescribed a 30-day period of total incapacity for work. Lee was ordered to pay more than €6,000 in damages, including compensation for ‘suffering endured’.

“The bar manager, who was threatened and grabbed by the neck, also filed a civil suit, as did the establishment as a legal entity.”

“It was an accident… the page has been turned”

“My clients wanted discretion, but the case became known and in the following two weeks, they had to explain themselves, including to supporters who came into the bar,” explained Antoine Portal, who represented the waitress and the bar manager. “I’m very happy for my clients; that’s what they wanted. The waitress, who is very young, is very scarred.”

The report added that Lee will have to pay the bar manager €1,000 for moral damages and legal costs, and €1,200 to the establishment, in particular for “damage to its image” and “disorganisation”. He will also have to pay €838 to the Primary Health Insurance Fund for healthcare costs.

Jean-Hubert Portejoie, Lee’s lawyer, told AFP after the hearing: “It was an accident, and the length of the sentence demonstrates this. The page has been turned.”

France