Clippers’ Blake Griffin gets January court date on assault charge

Reporting from Las Vegas —  The lawyer for Los Angeles Clippers star forward Blake Griffin on Monday told a Las Vegas judge that he has completed his investigation of a man’s claim that Griffin assaulted him inside a nightclub on the Strip.

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Pro Tem William Jansen set a Jan. 12 status check in the misdemeanor battery case. That hearing will be the next step in determining whether Griffin will face trial on the charge.

“I told the court that I had been talking to the prosecuting attorney and we agreed to set a date for the status check,” Griffin’s attorney, Richard Schonfeld, told the Los Angeles Times. “I have completed my independent investigation and will be prepared to present it to the court.”

Schonfeld would not disclose what he found in his probe of the Oct. 19 incident. Daniel Schuman told police that Griffin attacked him in Tao nightclub at the Venetian resort. Schuman said Griffin snatched his cellphone and then grabbed him after he took a photo of a group of Clippers players at the club.

Griffin, 25, did not appear in court Monday. A conviction can carry up to a six-month jail sentence.

Schonfeld has represented several high-wattage clients, including pop singer Bruno Mars, model Paris Hilton and several members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang.

The Clippers are preparing for a home game Monday night against the Phoenix Suns. Griffin has not commented on the charge but Clippers Coach Doc Rivers has told reporters that he trusts Griffin “100%.”

“I love Blake, support Blake and this will work out,” he said.