Music

Justin Bieber’s Bodyguard Drops Assault Lawsuit

The pop star and his former bodyguard reach "mutual satisfaction" in dispute

February 3, 2014

Justin Bieber‘s former bodyguard has dropped a lawsuit against the pop star, squashing one of the beleaguered 19-year-old’s many recent legal woes. In January 2013, bodyguard Moshe Benabou had filed a lawsuit against Bieber for assault and battery that he alleged took place after a 2012 Bieber concert. He was also suing for unpaid overtime during a stint with Bieber between March 2011 and October 2012.

A trial had been scheduled for February 18th of this year, but The Hollywood Reporter says the parties involved last week filed paperwork to dismiss the suit without prejudice. Bieber’s lawyer, Howard Weitzman, refused to give details on the dismissal but said each side of the suit had reached “mutual satisfaction.”

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Benabou explained the incidents that had led up to his dismissal in the lawsuit. The incident took place backstage before a concert on October 10th, 2012, when Bieber allegedly launched into a tirade backstage as he was holding court with some of his friends. “The tirade was apparently triggered by what Justin Bieber perceived as an attempt by Moshe Benabou to keep one member of Mr. Bieber’s entourage physically away from Justin Bieber,” Benabou’s complaint said. “As part of this tirade, Justin Bieber repeatedly punched Moshe Benabou in the chest and upper body area. Mr. Benabou did not retaliate or attempt to protect himself out of his concerns for Justin Bieber’s physical wellbeing.” When the bodyguard turned to walk away, Bieber told him he was fired.

Even though this case was dropped, Bieber will nevertheless be spending time in court this month. The pop star is set to be arraigned for DUI and resisting-arrest charges that stem from an expletive-filled night in Miami last month. (That event came days after one of Bieber’s friends was arrested at the pop star’s house for possessing cocaine.)

Recently, Bieber also turned himself in to Toronto piece on another charge. A limo driver alleged that the singer had assaulted him late last year.

Since these incidents, a petition to deport Bieber has garnered enough signatures online that White House spokesman Jay Carney said President Obama would look into it. But Bieber has had authority figures come to his defense in his home country: last month, Toronto’s controversial mayor Rob Ford told a radio station, “He’s a young guy. Think back to when you were 19.”