A Gresham man is suing his former downstairs neighbor for $420,000, saying he suffered a broken jaw and 11 other facial fractures after she burst into his apartment and began to attack him because she thought he was too noisy.

Anthony Thomas Newman, 53, says Kimberely Rachelle Patterson, 48, started kicking and smacking him and hitting his girlfriend on Dec. 12, 2016. Newman’s suit says Patterson’s adult son and his friend joined in, focusing mainly on Newman.

In August, Kimberely Patterson was convicted and sentenced to two years of probation for misdemeanor fourth-degree assault for hurting the girlfriend. Patterson’s son, Deandre Fitzgerald Patterson II, was sentenced to 90 days in jail for felony third-degree assault in Newman’s beating. He was 20 at the time of the attack. His friend wasn’t charged.

A police report says the attackers used their “hands, feet, teeth, etc.” to batter Newman, who told police he had to undergo reconstruction surgery and now has three metal plates implanted in his face.

Neither Patterson had any previous criminal history.

Kimberely Patterson is the only listed defendant in the lawsuit. She declined comment to The Oregonian/OregonLive.

But she did share her side of the story with police.

She said she lived on the second-floor of the Columbia Trails Apartments on Northwest 15th Street in Gresham, directly below Newman, his girlfriend and the girlfriend’s 12-year-old son on the third floor. She said the trio had been stomping on the floor, banging on the walls and moving furniture for months and that she’d started complaining to security at the apartment complex every day. But each time security employees came out, they said they didn’t hear the noise, she said.

A next-door neighbor also told police that Newman was usually quiet and didn’t cause problems.

Patterson said she’d thrown books and water bottles or banged at her ceiling to try to get the trio to quiet down, but the upstairs tenants responded by becoming noisier.

Newman told police that after he first learned Patterson was upset, he left a Starbucks gift card and a note on her door saying he was sorry if he’d been noisy.

Patterson said she took the gift card and note as a threat because they indicated Newman knew she had complained.

On the day of the attack, Patterson told police she feared her life was in danger because of the noise, according to police reports. She said she asked her son, who was on winter vacation from community college, to join her in knocking on Newman’s door to talk. Her son’s friend also came.

Kimberely Patterson said Newman and his girlfriend, Lisa Marie Mills, 39, were sarcastic and rude, and Newman started the fight by taking the first swing at about 8:30 p.m.

She said Mills pulled her hair and she and her son reacted by defending themselves.

Police noted a cut on Kimberely Patterson’s forehead. Police said Deandre Patterson appeared to be uninjured.

Police said Newman had extensive injuries and Mills had a puffy area visible above her eye and a scratched face. Mills said Kimberely Patterson threw punches at her, grabbed her hair and knocked her to the ground.

According to Newman and Mills, when Newman answered the door that evening, Kimberely Patterson complained about the noise, refused to leave and then she, her son and the son’s friend started the fight.

Newman and Mills told police they had just arrived home after going out to pizza to celebrate the 12th birthday of Mills’ son. Mills told police her son had invited over a friend and the boys might have made some noise as they ran down a hall to the bedroom because they were excited to play a new video game.

When police arrived, they found the boys frightened and hiding under a bed.

Kimberely Patterson told police that shortly after the fight, management sent her a 72-hour notice ordering her to move out. She moved to Fairview.

Kimberely Patterson told authorities at the time that she worked for the city of Portland as an assistant to a director. Court papers list no other details. A city spokeswoman said Tuesday that Patterson is currently employed with the city as a senior administrative specialist. A city directory stated she worked within the Bureau of Transportation.

Portland attorney Greg Kafoury, Mark McDougal and Jason Kafoury are representing Newman. The lawsuit was filed late last month in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

-- Aimee Green

agreen@oregonian.com

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