Justin Bieber settles violence lawsuit

Pop star reaches settlement with photographer who claimed he was assaulted by the singer’s bodyguard.

MIAMI: A lawsuit against pop star Justin Bieber over an incident involving a photographer in Miami has been resolved, according to attorneys.

A lawyer for photographer Jeffrey Binion declined to comment further and wouldn’t say when the agreement was reached or if it involved a financial settlement.

The lawsuit, filed in Miami-Dade County circuit court, dates back to a 2013 run-in between Binion and Bieber outside a Miami-area recording studio. Binion claimed he was attacked by Bieber’s bodyguards after snapping a picture of the singer.

In recent months, lengthy attempts at mediation between the two ended in an impasse, said Binion’s lawyer, Mark DiCowden.

Bieber’s lawyer, Jeremiah Reynolds, confirmed that the two had settled the matter.

The Canadian singer, who frequently makes headlines due to his party-intense lifestyle, is also being sued by another Florida photographer, Manuel Muñoz, who took a picture of him leaving a South Beach nightclub in January 2014.

Muñoz, in a May 2014 lawsuit, alleged Bieber’s bodyguards chased him down a busy tourist street and into a shop where they locked him inside, beat him up and smashed his camera. He is seeking unspecified punitive and compensatory damages.

Reynolds declined to comment on the Muñoz lawsuit.

The incident took place on the same night that Bieber was arrested by Miami Beach police for allegedly racing a Lamborghini on the city’s streets.

Bieber struck a deal last August with prosecutors in which he pleaded guilty to careless driving and resisting an officer without violence. He made a $50,000 donation to a children’s charity and agreed to attend a 12-hour anger management course.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th,  2015.

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