Justin Bieber Lawsuit Filed for Allegedly Assaulting Paparazzo While Dating Selena Gomez
A paparazzo filed a lawsuit against Justin Bieber on Wednesday claiming the singer kicked and punched him last year at a Southern California shopping center, according to The Associated Press.
The court document alleges the 19-year-old attacked Jose Osmin Hernandez Duran after the singer and his then-girlfriend went to the movies at The Commons in Calabasas. Duran claimed Bieber began to leave the shopping center behind the wheel of his Mercedes, but then got out of his car and sprinted toward the photographer. Duran said the Beauty and a Beat singer jumped into up to 8 feet away to kick the photographer's gut before punching him in the face, the news report noted.
The lawsuit stated that Duran seeks unspecified damages for "severe and extreme emotional distress" and negligence. The lawsuit was filed with the Los Angeles County Superior Court and the papers date the attack as happening in May of 2012, according to International Business Times.
Bieber initially had trouble driving his car out of the parking lot and responded by yelling and then attacking the photographers around him, E! Online reported. Duran said after he was assaulted by Bieber, he responded using "submissive behavior" and told his attacker "... you don't have to do this." The court papers also show Selena Gomez, who was Bieber's girlfriend at the time, apologizing for her boyfriend's behavior.
Duran claimed he was well within his legal rights in taking the photographers, the news report stated.
The AP noted that Bieber's representatives have yet to respond to a request for comment.
Bieber is on his Believe world tour and is scheduled to perform at the Pepsi Center in Denver on June 30. He will travel to the Far East, Central and South America in September and October.
