Justin Bieber returned from his 20th birthday in the Bahamas to a legal nightmare.
On Thursday, the star reportedly spent between four and a half to five tortuous hours in his attorney Roy Black’s Miami, South Florida. law offices, being questioned by the lawyer of a paparazzo who is suing him.
Paparazzo Jeffrey Binion, 56 – who is represented by Mark DiCowden – filed a civil battery and negligence (assault) case against Bieber and one of his bodyguards, Hugo Hesny, in Miami-Dade circuit court last year.
As previously reported , Bieber left the island resort on Wednesday.
He jetted into Miami late last night ahead of a third-time scheduled deposition which was also videotaped and apparently “behaved like a gentleman” during his overnight stay at the Setai Miami Beach hotel, Gossip Extra writes.
Bieber’s return to Miami is his first since his January 23 arrest on suspicion of DUI while allegedly drag racing in Miami Beach. That day, he had been due to be deposed in Santa Monica by DiCowden but his arrest meant he missed the date .
Gossip Extra reports that although Black represents Justin in his DUI case, he sat in on his deposing which was held in a conference room. The outlet added the high-profile attorney persuaded DiDowden to let the deposition be held at his 13th floor offices because of safety concerns for Bieber.
Most waiting press expected Bieber to show up at the offices of Universal Court Reporting.
But the singer and his convoy of black SUVs managed to avoid the fuss on the way in. Fans waited for Justin as he exited, but by then he was probably in no mood to stop.
Citing sources, Gossip Extra said the “ Baby ” singer wore a black leather jacket and causal slacks and looked a little fatigued arriving at Black’s South Biscayne offices but seemed in good form..
Bieber’s mood would reportedly change dramatically once the 10 am-4 pm deposition got underway.
In a complaint [seen here], Binion claims he was assaulted by Bieber’s bodyguards on the singer’s orders outside Miami’s Hit Factory Recording Studio after he was spotted taking photos of the star on June 5, 2013.
Binion alleges he was thrown against a wall and held in a choke-hold by Hesny, while he and other bodyguards allegedly took his camera and memory card to delete pictures. Hesny is reportedly not licensed by the State of Florida to work as a bodyguard and does not hold a concealed weapons carrying permit as required by Florida law. Binion further claims Hesny used a gun to threaten him while trying to remove his memory card.
Fast forward to Bieber’s Thursday court proceeding. The star was reportedly nervy, angry, frustrated, and even thought to be asleep at one point.
It’s worth noting that on the day of the deposition redacted police jail footage of Justin taking a urine test was released publicly, which sounds as good a reason as any to be stressed.
“The guy proved today he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed,” one source who sounds very close to the deposition told Gossip Extra.
Bieber reportedly took frequent breaks in the six-hour session, sometimes as often as every 15 minutes.
The outlet claims Justin got angry over questions about his former relationship with actress-singer Selena Gomez, even briefly leaving the deposition at one point before returning.
(Photo: Bieber via Instagram)
TMZ reports Bieber was asked if Selena was present during any incidents involving run-ins with paparazzi.
The outlet adds Weitzman objected on the basis the question was clearly intended to “get a rise” out of Justin. But DiCowden kept digging, which led Weitzman to claim his client was being harassed.
It’s alleged Justin and Weitzman stood up and left, with the singer screaming, “Don’t ask me about her, do not ask me about her!”
Bieber returned 10 minutes later, but the tension reportedly continued.
Bieber’s reply to one query, “Yeah,” was pedantically corrected by DiCowden, who asked, “Do you mean yes?”
To which, an enraged Justin reportedly responded, “What the f*** is the difference between yeah and yes?!”
The “ Boyfriend ” singer also reportedly made a sarcastic comment about his grilling, asking, “What is this, ’60 minutes?’” A similarly toned Katie Couric-centric barb allegedly came later.
Bieber was apparently shown multiple TMZ posts by DiCowden. The singer reportedly then accused the lawyer of being obsessed with him. This according to TMZ .
Bieber recently declared Gomez the “Most elegant princess in the world” on his Instagram account following her appearance at a Vanity Fair Oscar after party. She has yet to respond publicly.
apparently @selenagomez laughed when she heard @justinbieber called her his “elegant princess” http://t.co/x0k4HkmEft pic.twitter.com/AzhuBdMRTX
— X17online.com (@x17online) March 5, 2014
Gossip Extra reports a source said Bieber appeared to have “selective amnesia,” often giving silly or evasive answers to probes, which included:
“Question: ‘Do you remember being in Australia in November?’ Justin: ‘I don’t know if I ever was in Australia.’”
“Question: ‘Do you remember being at the Hit Factory in North Miami in June?’ Justin: ‘I don’t remember being in Miami in June.’”
“Question: ‘How many managers to you have?’ Justin: ‘Oh, I might have 100 managers.’”
“Question: ‘What are their names?’ Justin: ‘I don’t really know.’”.
At one point Bieber reportedly answered “No!” when asked if he had taken legal or illegal drugs within 24 hours of the hearing or drank alcohol within 12 hours.
In addition , TMZ reports the embattled star was asked if he has a prescription for Xanax. Bieber reportedly replied, “No.”
“He denied being asleep,” a source at the deposition told Gossip Extra .”He said something about being frustrated with the questions and trying to focus.”
Bieber’s lawyers lost two crucial appeals last month. One was an attempt to stop the Binion deposition from being filmed. The second, to block questions on previous alleged incidents involving the singer, his bodyguards and photographers.
It’s reported Bieber’s verdict on the deposition was that it was “unfair.”
The public will be able to judge for themselves when the video is made available.