In 2019, Dustin Hice filed a lawsuit alleging Lemon “put his hand down the front of his own shorts, and vigorously rubbed his genitalia, removed his hand and shoved his index and middle fingers into Plaintiff’s moustache under Plaintiff’s nose.” On Monday, Hice dropped his lawsuit saying: “After a lot of inner reflection and a deep dive into my memory. I have come to realize that my recollection of the events that occurred on the night in question when I first met CNN anchor Don Lemon were not what I thought they were when I filed this lawsuit.” In response, Lemon's attorney called the lawsuit "a malicious and vulgar attack on his character" and a “crass money grab from its inception.”