A late-night altercation outside a downtown Indianapolis hotel has erupted into a high-stakes civil suit against former NFL quarterback and current Fox Sports analyst Mark Sanchez. According to court filings reviewed by the Associated Press, a 69-year-old truck driver named Perry Tole is suing both Sanchez and Fox Corporation for “severe permanent disfigurement” and emotional trauma after what prosecutors describe as a violent parking dispute gone wrong.

The case, filed this week in Marion Superior Court, accuses Sanchez of initiating the confrontation while allegedly under the influence of alcohol, an encounter that ended with both men hospitalized and Sanchez facing felony-battery charges.

A police affidavit obtained by NBC News states that Sanchez approached Tole near the loading docks of a downtown Indianapolis hotel late Saturday, where the driver had backed his truck to make a delivery. Witnesses told police Sanchez appeared agitated and smelled of alcohol. The complaint alleges that the former quarterback entered Tole’s truck without permission, blocked him from leaving, and shoved him.

Tole then used pepper spray in self-defense, but Sanchez “continued to advance,” the filing says. Moments later, Tole pulled a pocketknife and stabbed Sanchez several times - an act investigators have characterized as defensive. Both men were hospitalized: Sanchez with stab wounds to his upper torso, Tole with a deep facial slash.

Prosecutors have since charged Sanchez with felony battery and several misdemeanors, calling the incident “a senseless escalation of a minor parking disagreement,” according to Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears. Photos circulating on social media show Tole in a hospital bed, his face bandaged and his neck braced.

Filed Monday, Tole’s civil complaint names both Mark Sanchez and Fox Corporation as defendants, seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages plus attorney’s fees. The suit accuses Sanchez of “reckless disregard for human safety” and claims Fox failed to supervise or manage its on-air talent while on assignment in Indianapolis.

Sanchez was in the city to cover Fox’s NFL broadcast of the Colts-Raiders game. Whether the altercation occurred during work-related hours—and whether Fox can be held vicariously liable—will likely shape the litigation.

Fox Corporation has not issued a public statement, and Sanchez’s criminal-defense attorneys declined comment. Sanchez remains out on bond and is expected back in court later this month.

The case brings together multiple strands of Indiana criminal and civil law: assault, self-defense, and employer responsibility. Under Indiana Code § 35-41-3-2, residents may use reasonable force to defend themselves from imminent unlawful harm. The question before prosecutors and ultimately a jury is whether Tole’s use of a knife was proportionate or excessive.

Sanchez, by contrast, faces exposure under both criminal-battery statutes and tort law if a court finds that his alleged intoxication and aggression directly caused Tole’s injuries. As for Fox Corporation, liability would rest on the doctrine of respondeat superior, which holds employers accountable for wrongful acts by employees “within the scope of employment.”

Sanchez, 38, spent a decade in the NFL, leading the New York Jets to two AFC-title appearances before retiring in 2019. He later joined ESPN and ABC, then moved to Fox Sports in 2021 as a game analyst. Once praised for his charisma in the booth, he now faces both criminal prosecution and civil litigation—jeopardizing a broadcasting career built on credibility and composure.

For Tole, the suit represents a demand for accountability. “We are literally talking about people fighting over a parking space,” Prosecutor Mears told reporters. “And it resulted in incredibly significant injuries.” That remark captures the strangeness of a case now poised to test the limits of self-defense law and corporate responsibility in the public eye.