Justin Bieber settles with photographer as deposition order runs out
Justin Bieber has settled a lawsuit filed against him by a Florida photographer.
Manuel Munoz claimed the singer instructed his bodyguard, Dwayne Patterson, to lock him in a Subway sandwich restaurant in January, 2014, after spotting him taking pictures of Bieber leaving a nightclub in Miami Beach.
According to legal papers filed five months later in May, 2014,
Patterson chased Munoz into the diner, locked the restaurant door
and cornered him in the bathroom, demanding that Munoz delete the
photos.
The snapper alleged Patterson tried to forcibly remove the memory
card, damaging the camera, and then kicked and punched him.
The Baby star's lawyers appeared in a Florida courthouse at the end
of September (16) and were given 30 days to get the 22-year-old in
a room for a deposition, but Bieber is currently on his Purpose
World Tour, which doesn't end until November (16).
According to TMZ, the pop star has settled with Munoz to avoid the
deposition.
The snapper was seeking unspecified damages for the alleged
altercation, which reportedly took place moments before Bieber was
arrested by Miami police officers, who spotted him drag racing with
a pal. He was slapped with counts for driving under the influence
(DUI), resisting arrest without violence and driving with an
expired license.
Bieber initially pleaded not guilty to the counts, only to strike a
plea deal with prosecutors, which required him to enter guilty
pleas for lesser, misdemeanor charges of careless driving and
resisting arrest.
Under the terms of the agreement, the DUI count was dropped and the
singer was ordered to complete 12 hours of anger management
counseling, pay a series of fines, and donate $50,000 to a local
children's charity.
Meanwhile, sources tell the news outlet Munoz was paid an
undisclosed amount. The terms of the settlement are
confidential.