Recent court filings reveal that there is more to the case of the 2021 viral video “Victoria Secret Karen.”
At the time, Ijeoma Ukenta, a black woman, was trying to redeem a coupon for free panties at Victoria’s Secret in New Jersey when a “Karen” allegedly attacked her and had a breakdown, screaming and rolling on the floor.
Now, civil court records reveal that “Karen,” Abigail Elphick, is disabled and has a long history of medical and psychological conditions.
In July, nearly two years after the original incident, Ukenta filed a civil suit against Elphick, Victoria’s Secret, the mall and the security company for negligence.
Elphick’s defense said her mental illness caused the breakdown because she feared the video would cause her to lose her job and housing.
Abigail Elphick, pictured during her monumental breakdown, says she is disabled and has a history of mental illness
In her lawsuit, Ukenta said that despite knowing she had been attacked, Victoria’s Secret ignored what was happening and when security finally arrived, they ignored her request to remove Elphick and failed to provide her with assistance or protection.
‘They were extremely dismissive of her and were indifferent and nonchalant about her concerns for her safety. Even though she was the victim, Plaintiff was further humiliated by mall security, her concerns were ignored and she was the one asked to leave the mall.”
The viral moment started at the Short Hills Mall in Millburn, New Jersey, when Ukenta asked Elphick to give her some space at the time to accommodate Covid-19 restrictions.
Things quickly escalated when the white woman punched Ukenta as they stood at the cash register, before throwing the shirt she was holding onto the counter and burying her face in her hands.
‘Oh my God!’ Ukenta said in the video, as Elphick crouched on the ground.
‘Do you see this? Oh my God, girl, I never thought something like this would happen to me. She just tried to run away and hit me,” Ukenta continues.
Elphick exclaimed, “No, I didn’t! I don’t want to be admitted.’
‘You saw that, right? They all saw her, oh my God,” Ukenta continued.
“I didn’t try to hit you. I don’t want to be recorded. Stop Stop!’ said Elphick. “I didn’t try to hit you!”
Elphick then falls face down on the floor and uses her bag as a pillow – while store employees continue to check out other customers in the background.
In the viral video, the white woman was pictured falling face down on the ground while using her bag as a pillow
The video ends with a store employee helping Ukenta with her purchases, telling the white woman, “Hi, Karen.”
In a second video, the chaotic incident appeared to resume, with Elphick lying on the ground pointing her finger at Ukenta as she convulsed on the ground and shouting, “She’s recording me!”
“You keep lying and saying I’m threatening you, so I’m recording to protect myself,” Ukenta replies.
At one point, a woman appears to try to calm Elphick down, as the screaming white woman speaks to someone on the phone – apparently police – as she continues to claim that Ukenta “threatened” her.
“This is how black people die. Do you see this? Do you see what these people are doing? They cause panic and tell the police (unintelligible) when you clearly saw her chasing me around the store,” Ukenta said.
That woman tells Ukenta to put the camera down because the woman is ‘sick’.
“She’s on the phone, don’t tell me what to do. She said I threatened her. I don’t care if she’s sick. I worry about myself,” Ukenta said.
In a third video, mall security finally appears, with Ukenta describing the situation to the mall’s “unaware” security guard.
Police eventually appeared in the fourth video, telling Ukenta that they “couldn’t kick her out,” referring to Elphick despite her assaulting Ukenta on camera.
Ukenta’s lawsuit said she began recording as a way to protect herself: “She was acutely aware that if the police were called, she, a black woman, might not be believed and could be identified as the aggressor considered.’
Ukenta posted the events in a series of videos that went viral on social media. She even posted a video of a police report being filed that revealed Elphick’s information
Elphick’s lawyers say this has led to numerous harassing phone calls, including threats against her and her family. She claims she received death threats on the phone in April.
After apparently attacking the female recording, Ijeoma Ukenta, the white woman said she did not want to be recorded
They also claim that Ukenta used this as an opportunity to make money from a disabled woman.
“Using Elphick, a disabled individual, Ukenta promoted a false narrative that misled the public into donating to help Ukenta defend himself against charges that were not even filed against Ukenta at the time.”
They say Ukenta has received $104,465 from about 5,000 people on GoFundMe. Meanwhile, others sympathized with her attacker based on her status as a disabled person.
‘I was shocked. She had a meltdown. Then the world we live in took over and it became something completely different than what it actually was.” Tom Toronto, president of Bergen County’s United Way, which manages the housing complex where Ms. Elphick lives, said New York Times.