Nicholas Gruber, a model and the ex of designer Calvin Klein, was arrested this week and charged with attacking a man with a frying pan and unlawful imprisonment for locking the man in an apartment.
The Daily Mail says that Gruber and his friend, Brandon Steele, were arrested for attacking an unarmed man during an argument over money at Steele’s apartment in New York City on the Upper East Side. The pair reportedly beat the man with a frying pan causing “disfiguring damage,” according to court documents.
“As a result of the repeated strikes, the victim was treated at Lenox Hill Hospital for several broken bones to the back, as well as a nearly severed ear and injuries to the orbital bone that could, potentially, affect vision.”
Both Steele and Gruber were charged with second-degree assault and unlawful imprisonment in the first degree as a result of the reported beating.
Gruber, who said he lives in the same building as Steele, told the police that everything in his apartment belonged to him before they found methamphetamine, $3,000 in cash, and a stolen package of clothes belonging to a neighbor. As a result of the search, police discovered that the apartment did not belong to Gruber, but he had broken in and changed the locks which led to additional charges.
Calvin Klein’s ex-boy-toy busted for beating man with a frying pan https://t.co/XegEEbtEJ5 pic.twitter.com/z4KDQJD9in
— New York Post (@nypost) March 16, 2019
Gruber was best known for dating designer Calvin Klein for two years, and has also been in several adult films.
The New York Post is reporting that Gruber declined to talk about the case, but joked briefly to a photographer at the courthouse.
“How does my hair look?”
Gruber, 28, had previously stated that he was writing a tell-all about his relationship with the much older Klein, but says he changed his mind. The model has had trouble with the law going back to 2012 when he assaulted a man he had brought home with him after a night out, punching the man in the face. When police arrived they found cocaine on Gruber and arrested him. Gruber served 20 days, and completed community service.
The New York Daily News says that the victim, whose name has not been released, was bashed several times with the frying pan and spent several days in the hospital.
Gruber and Steele are both out on bail after an arraignment on Tuesday in Manhattan Criminal Court, and, at this time, there is no trial date in the matter. The two men are asking to be tried separately.
Calvin Klein would not comment on his past relationship with Gruber, who is 40 years his junior.