LATEST UPDATES (February 2026):
- A trial still has not occurred due to multiple postponements; it remains in the pre-trial phase.
- The defendant (Max Edward Hartley) has pleaded not guilty to six charges, which include aggravated battery and abusing a disabled adult.
- In addition to the criminal case, there is also a separate civil suit by other victims, including a car owner whose vehicle was damaged.
- No trial date has been set/announced publicly yet.
PREVIOUS UPDATES:
- Rick Allen appeared on Good Morning America with his wife Lauren Monroe, and opened up about his road to recovery since the assault in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Here is the video of his Good Morning America appearance/interview:
Original Post:
Best wishes to Rick Allen, who was assaulted outside the Four Seasons Hotel in Florida on March 13, where he had been staying for Def Leppard’s Hollywood, FL show at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (the final tour date for The World Tour‘s first leg).
News reports stated that Rick and another woman had been violently assaulted outside the hotel — Rick was tackled to the ground and suffered a head injury after he fell backward and hit his head on the pavement, and the woman who intervened was assaulted and dragged by her hair by the teenage suspect. (The Daily Mail website reported in a follow-up article that Rick’s wife, Lauren Monroe, had also been attacked, but Rick has confirmed in a social media post that Lauren was not with him at the time of the incident.)
More specific details about the assault(s) were included in the Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s official Incident Report, which mentions Rick being “drop kicked” initially, kicked, and having his right arm pulled while on the ground. The Incident Report also makes note of what the officer was told in regard to how bystanders and hotel staff responded during the assault (i.e., “ran away”).
After fleeing the Four Seasons, the teenage suspect who attacked Rick and the other female caused further damage, breaking the windows of cars at a nearby hotel’s parking garage (The Conrad). He also damaged property (throwing chairs at a nearby restaurant, the Wine Garden, trying to break its front window). He then attempted to flee that scene but was tackled.
Here are some of the 911 calls that came in after a Wine Garden employee tackled the suspect:
One 911 caller also reported, “I have an individual who has been running around breaking windows and has beat up a couple of guests at the Four Seasons as well,” alleging the suspect was “very highly intoxicated.”
Rick Allen released the following statement on his social media accounts:
“Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support. Your love and prayers are truly helping. My wife Lauren was thankfully not with me at the time of the incident. We are together now, and working on recovering in a safe space. We are focusing on healing for everyone involved. We ask you to join us in our effort to move from confusion and shock to compassion and empathy. We understand this act of violence can be triggering for so many people. To all of the fans, veterans, and first responders in our global community we are thinking of you all. Together with love, we can all get through these difficult times.
Rick Allen & Lauren Monroe”
Note: This is not the type of story typically reported on this site, but this egregious assault against Rick Allen is undoubtedly of interest to many concerned Def Leppard fans and the general public. Hopefully, justice is served for this senseless act of violence.
