Aaron Hernandez invoked his Fifth Amendment right on Wednesday in response to a civil lawsuit filed against him by his former associate, Alexander Bradley. The lawsuit alleges the ex-NFL star shot Bradley in the face after an argument in Miami, according to both the Boston Herald and the Associated Press.
Attorneys for Hernandez filed a response to the lawsuit on Wednesday in which Hernandez asserted his Fifth Amendment right 13 times to allegations brought forth in Bradley's complaint.
The lawsuit, filed in June and seeking at least $100,000 in damages, claims Hernandez shot Bradley after an argument outside a Miami strip club in February 2013; Bradley reportedly lost the use of his right eye because of the incident.
Bradley initially refused to police the name the man who shot him. Hernandez was later named in the lawsuit, which says Hernandez fired a weapon at him - either through extreme negligence or intentionally.
Prior to Hernandez taking the Fifth, which protects him from incriminating himself, his attorneys asked for a delay in the proceedings until after his trial for the murder of Odin Loyd.
Via The Herald: "Without addressing the case specifics, Hernandez's lawyers argued that it would be impossible for Hernandez to participate in Bradley's civil suit without potentially incriminating himself in the ongoing investigation into the Lloyd slaying."
US District Court Judge Kathleen Williams, the Florida judge hearing the case, denied the motion.
Hernandez is facing life in prison for the murder of Lloyd; he's also being investigated for his potential involvement in a 2012 unsolved double homicide in Boston.
Hernandez, 24, pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder of Lloyd. Hernandez is currently being held without bail while awaiting trial.
