A pregnant nurse filmed arguing with a man over a bike is "in hiding" because her life and job are being threatened over the viral dispute, her lawyer has claimed.
The incident that has divided observers involved a New York City hospital worker, Sarah Comrie, who was seen arguing with a group of Black men over a CitiBike.
She was quickly dubbed 'CitiBike Karen' and accused of racism - but her lawyer and loved ones says the bike was hers and the accusations are 'shameful'.
Her lawyer, Justin Marino, has now spoken out about the dispute and said that Ms Comrie has received death threats due to the backlash on social media.
He also stated that Ms Comrie, who works as a Physician's Assistant at Bellevue Hospital, has been labelled a racist "Karen" by media outlets and social media critics.
Mr Marino told Fox News: "She's received death threats. She's in hiding. What's at play is what social media did to this woman who's literally a hero, and has done nothing but help people and within one minute effectively tries to ruin her life."
Ms Comrie saw herself accused of hijacking the rental bike from a young Black man after the viral video appeared to show her yelling for help and crying after a tussle with the group.
She was accused of "faking" her tears in the confrontation and playing on racist tropes of Black men threatening white women.
The video shows the encounter with a group of men who claim in the footage that they paid for the bike she was on at the docking station and that her tears were fake.
The incident was quickly compared to a 2020 incident in which 'Central Park Karen' Amy Cooper falsely told the police a Black birdwatcher tried to assault her when he confronted her about breaking park rules.
But her lawyer has revealed receipts which he says prove that the bike was indeed Ms Comrie's and she is trying to clear her name.
A GoFundMe page to help Ms Comrie has since been set up; pleading with people to help pay for her legal bills “to save her livelihood and her reputation.”
Started by Ms Comrie’s uncle, the fundraiser calls the incident has “unfairly painted [Comrie] as a racist ‘Karen.’”
“The facts have since proven this is a lie, but the damage has been done,” the fundraiser states.
“In fact, Sarah is a dedicated healthcare worker who is six months pregnant. She holds racial justice and equity dear, and has dedicated her life to serving NYC’s most challenged individuals.
“She does not wish to become a cause celebre, but the legal bills to save her livelihood and her reputation obviously are mounting,” the fundraiser also stated.
The lawyer claimed Ms Comrie had just finished her 12-hour shift and was trying to rent a bike to go home on the day of the incident.
He suggested that the men confronted her, claiming she was taking the bike they had already reserved.
Someone pushed the bike back into the docking station while she was on it, so it locked again, the lawyer said.
"[Ms Comrie] went to a vacant bike that no one was on, she mounted the bike, she paid for the bike, and ended up pulling back off the docking station, and around that time these individuals claimed that it was their bike," Mr Marino said.
He added that after the argument, Ms Comrie put the bike back in the docking station and rented another one.
The attorney has two receipts that prove his client's version of events, with serial numbers matching the bicycles in question.
Ms Comrie sought an attorney because she feared losing her job over the encounter, her attorney said.
Bellevue Hospital placed her on administrative leave pending a review of the situation after the video went viral and she faced accusations of racism, according to Mr Marino.
"Race has nothing to do with it. If the skin colours were the same we would not be here today," Mr Marino added.
And he clarified that their complaints are against outlets that suggested she was a racist, not the men in the video.
He said: "We are looking to right the wrong. We have nothing against these individuals involved in the incident."
