Who Is Harry Reid Suing? Senate Minority Leader Files Lawsuit Over Eye Injury

After suffering an eye injury from an exercise band in January, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid filed a lawsuit against an exercise equipment manufacturer, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. Reid and his wife, Landra Gould, are seeking $50,000 in damages.

Reid injured himself New Year's Day while using a latex band called TheraBand. The elastic resistive exercise band was “mounted to a sturdy object in the bathroom” but snapped when Reid pulled on it, “causing him to spin around and strike his face on a cabinet,” according to the 16-page civil lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas.

The lawsuit alleges negligence, liability and failure to warn consumers about “dangers that may result from the use or foreseeable misuse” of the band and seeks damages from TheraBand maker Hygenic Intangible Property Holding Co., the Hygenic Corp. and Performance Health LLC. The lawsuit also seeks damages for Gould for the loss of marital consortium.

Reid suffered visible injuries from the incident and returned from Congress’ December recess two weeks late, according to the Huffington Post. He underwent surgery but lost vision in his right eye. He suffered broken bones around the eye, fractured ribs, a concussion, cuts and bruises.

“I didn’t get this black eye by sparring with Manny Pacquiao, by challenging Floyd Mayweather,” Reid said in a YouTube video, mocking rumors about his injuries. “I didn’t go bull riding. I wasn’t riding a motorcycle. I was exercising in my new home, and the doctors have told me I better take it easy.”

Less than three months after the incident, Reid, 75, announced he would not run for a sixth Senate term in 2016 and plans to retire after 30 years as a Nevada senator.

“You know in life, you don’t always get what you want,” Reid said in an interview with CNN. “And I wish I hadn’t hurt myself.”