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Justin Bieber sued by paparazzo

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A

AuthenticM

Member
More at CBC.ca

A photographer sued Justin Bieber and one of his bodyguards Wednesday for assault and infliction of emotional distress over an altercation on a Hawaiian beach late last year.

The lawsuit by paparazzo Aja Oxman states Bieber ordered his bodyguard to take a memory card after the photographer snapped photos of the pop singer leaping from a cliff into the ocean at Shipwreck Beach on the island of Kauai. Bodyguard Dwayne Patterson placed Oxman in a chokehold and seriously injured him and damaged his camera during the November incident, the lawsuit states.

The complaint seeks unspecified damages in excess of $25,000 for assault and battery, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
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I can't say I feel sorry for the guy. Paparazzi are scum. I think getting their equiment destroyed and having reasonable force used against them to either prevent them from taking pictures or enticing them to fuck off should be part of the job and should serve as a higher burden of proof if they ever take legal action against the celebrity.

UPDATE

irc5wI6K2Ksue.gif


Just look at this. I don't even participate in what's happening and I am still filled with powerless rage that leaves me fantasizing about beating the shit out of this cockroach.
 
S

Squalor

Junior Member
Goddammit, as much as I can't stand Bieber, I hate paparazzi more.

I don't want to choose sides, but fuck paparazzi.
 
C

Courage

Member
That's how they make it big. Paparazzi hustle is disgusting. Intentional provocation until they get a rise from their victim.
 
S

Skyzard

Banned
Was he in a public place?

snapped photos of the pop singer leaping from a cliff into the ocean at Shipwreck Beach on the island of Kauai.
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Chokehold to get photos?

Yeah that's not okay.
 
N

Neuromancer

Member
AuthenticM said:
I can't say I feel sorry for the guy. Paparazzi are scum. I think getting their equiment destroyed and having reasonable force used against them to either prevent them from taking pictures or enticing them to fuck off should be part of the job and should serve as a higher burden of proof if they ever take legal action against the celebrity.
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What was this paparazzi doing that was so bad? It sounds to me like they were all in a public place. Sorry but that's part of the deal of being rich and famous, people are going to want to take pictures of you.
 
A

AuthenticM

Member
Squalor said:
Goddammit, as much as I can't stand Bieber, I hate paparazzi more.

I don't want to choose sides, but fuck paparazzi.
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I have very strong opinions of Justin Bieber. I've read and seen some of the dumb shit he's pulled in recent years and I think he's an asshole.

That being said, I have to side with him on this one. The celebrity's level of assholeness is irrelevant when it comes to justifying paparazzi. They are scum; I would go Tarantino on their asses.

Of course, all of this is subject to how serious the injuries were. I'm not advocating breaking their bones or threatening their lives; I did specify "reasonable force" in my OP. But goddamn do I hate the fuckers. I do not envy celebrities on that front, I can assure you.

Neuromancer said:
What was this paparazzi doing that was so bad? It sounds to me like they were all in a public place. Sorry but that's part of the deal of being rich and famous, people are going to want to take pictures of you.
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I don't think you'd be of this opinion if you were followed and harassed by paparazzi on a daily basis.
 
Goro Majima

Goro Majima

Kitty Genovese Member
I'm surprised more bodyguards don't mimic Sonny Corleone by smashing their cameras and throwing hundred dollar bills on the ground to pay for it.
 
A

Aquamarine

Member
The complaint seeks unspecified damages in excess of $25,000 for assault and battery, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
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Emotional distress? Really? A member of the paparazzi wants to whine about emotional distress?
 
E

EloquentM

aka Mannny
So when Kanye west goes ham on pap and smashes their cameras he's an asshole. When beiber has his body gaurds choke hold and injure someone it's cool....got it
 
A

AuthenticM

Member
BruiserBear said:
Why do I have a feeling those "serious injuries" weren't that serious?
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Because obviously that's what the victim would say. He's taking legal action. If he declared: "he put me in a chokehold but I'm alright; it's all cool" he would seriously jeopardize his chances of winning in court. Of course, we shouldn't deem his words lies, but it's natural to doubt their veracity.

linsivvi said:
Two wrongs don't make a right
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Again, if you were in their shoes, I would be willing to bet you'd have a very different perspective on the matter.

EloquentM said:
So when Kanye west goes ham on pap and smashes their cameras he's an asshole. When beiber has his body gaurds choke hold and injure someone it's cool....got it
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I never said that about Kanye so shut up.
 
L

linsivvi

Member
AuthenticM said:
Again, if you were in their shoes, I would be willing to bet you'd have a very different perspective on the matter.
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That is extremely presumptuous of you. You know absolutely nothing about me.

Besides, the majority of celebrities don't ask their bodyguards to attack paparazzi.
 
N

Neuromancer

Member
AuthenticM said:
I don't think you'd be of this opinion if you were followed and harassed by paparazzi on a daily basis.
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We all have hardships in our lives. I can sympathize with the personal problems of multimillionaires up until a point, but ordering your bodyguard to put a photographer in a chokehold and break his camera is well past that point. If there are other facts of the case than what's in the OP (like if the photographer trespassed on private property to take those photos) maybe I'll reconsider, although at that point the police should have been called instead of resorting to violence.
 
S

Squalor

Junior Member
Kyuur said:
Can celebrities not sue these people for harassment?
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It would be illegal for "paparazzi" to follow regular people around and take photos of them, but celebrities give up that right by virtue of being "celebrities."

It's bullshit, honestly.
 
N

Neuromancer

Member
Squalor said:
It would be illegal for "paparazzi" to follow regular people around and take photos of them, but celebrities give up that right by virtue of being "celebrities."

It's bullshit, honestly.
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That's not true. I can follow anyone one around and take photos of them in public. As long as I don't trespass on private property or anything like that, there's no law being broken.
 
C

cameron

Member
Derwind said:
Paparazi while an undesirable profession shouldn't ever be a reason to justify assaulting someone. Ever.
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I agree with this.

Bieber is intellectually stunted; the bodyguard should've known better. Anyway, it's payday for the paparazzi. Either sell creepy pictures to tabloids or harass celebrities until a physical confrontation occurs.
 
S

Squalor

Junior Member
Neuromancer said:
That's not true. I can follow anyone one around and take photos of them in public. As long as I don't trespass on private property or anything like that, there's no law being broken.
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No you can't. Even in public places, at a point, it would constitute stalking.
 
N

Neuromancer

Member
Squalor said:
No you can't. Even in public places, at a point, it would constitute stalking.
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How familiar are you with US laws? Because that's just not true at all.

For example, this is the description of stalking in my state (MD):

Md. Criminal law Code Ann. § 3-802. Stalking. (2011)
(a) "Stalking" defined. -- In this section, "stalking" means a malicious course of conduct that includes approaching or pursuing another where the person intends to place or knows or reasonably should have known the conduct would place another in reasonable fear:

(1)

(i) of serious bodily injury;

(ii) of an assault in any degree;

(iii) of rape or sexual offense as defined by §§ 3-303 through 3-308 of this article or attempted rape or sexual offense in any degree

(iv) of false imprisonment; or

(v) of death; or

(2) that a third person likely will suffer any of the acts listed in item (1) of this subsection.
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None of that is covered by a person taking photographs of another person in a public place.
 
A

AuthenticM

Member
linsivvi said:
That is extremely presumptuous of you. You know absolutely nothing about me.
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I don't, but I'm willing to bet you have not experienced being harassed like this.

Neuromancer said:
That's not true. I can follow anyone one around and take photos of them in public. As long as I don't trespass on private property or anything like that, there's no law being broken.
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That's ridiculous. I'm glad that shit is illegal in Canada.
 
S

starchild excalibur

Member
Einbroch said:
I hate the paparazzi, but come on. You can't choke hold someone and break their equipment.
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Exactly.

You guys can be mad at the paparazzi all you want, but if Biebs was in a public place and the dude wasn't trespassing into private areas to get the photo he definitely deserves to be compensated for being put in a chokehold and having his gear damaged.

Compared to some of the shit Biebs has done in the past, the photographer is definitely still the better of the two here.
 
F

Fenderputty

Banned
Squalor said:
Goddammit, as much as I can't stand Bieber, I hate paparazzi more.

I don't want to choose sides, but fuck paparazzi.
Click to expand...

Paparazzi can be dicks, but IMO they're part of the job classification for being famous and making money off of that notoriety. Some people handle them well and others don't.
 
W

woodchuck

Member
I don't get all the paparazzi hate. Don't hate the player, hate the game. They're just trying to make a living. Hate the public who buy into this tabloid shit
 
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