NEW YORK, June 14 (UPI) -- A lawyer in the case of a Manhattan grocery store tussle says his client was not out of line when she slapped another shopper in the frozen food aisle.
Marcella Caprario is accused of smacking Dr. Cathleen London in a dispute at the Trader Joe's on the Upper West Side.
"Not that we're condoning slapping people, but this was justified, reasonable force," Mark Bederow, Caprario's lawyer, told the New York Post.
The trial in the frozen-food fracas began Tuesday in Manhattan Criminal Court. Caprario is charged with misdemeanor assault and has rejected prosecution attempts to settle out of court.
The Post said Caprario is an English teacher and amateur opera singer. London is an accomplished triathlete and occasional guest on CNN's "Joy Behar Show."
The incident took place in January when London's teenage son allegedly blocked out Caprario's husband as he reached for a box of frozen pad Thai. Words were exchanged and Carprario slapped London because the doctor was allegedly "getting into her personal space," Bederow said.
