Selena Gomez Subpoenaed Into Justin Bieber Lawsuit, Countdown To Settlement
Selena Gomez’s on-off relationship with Justin Bieber has just landed her a subpoena in an ongoing Biebs-lawsuit filed by a paparazzo who alleges he was attacked by the Canadian.
If you’re thinking it’s the paparazzo case Bieber was deposed in earlier this month, it isn’t.
According to TMZ, Gomez has been summoned to testify in a deposition for a lawsuit related to a 2012 incident.
Paparazzo Jose Osmin Hernandez Duran, claims Selena witnessed Justin drop-kick him in the stomach at The Commons shopping mall in Calabasas, California, in May 2012. He says the “Confident” superstar saw red after he took photos of the pair on a date.
Media reports at the time alleged Selena tried to act as a peacemaker and even apologized to Duran for Justin’s alleged attack.
The subpoena means the Latina will have to submit to questioning from Duran’s lawyer on not only what she allegedly saw and heard in the May incident, but also wider probes such as Bieber’s feelings about paparazzi and beyond. She will also be under oath.
Although the Los Angeles County District Attorney declined to press charges over Duran’s complaint against Bieber at the time citing lack of evidence, in civil cases burdens of proof are lower.
Duran filed a civil assault and battery case against Bieber in June 2013 and is now coming for the money.
As we previously reported, Duran’s lawyer’s move to depose Selena isn’t at all surprising given that the actress-singer was with Justin on the day in question. But it’s also likely the decision to strongarm Gomez is a tactical move designed to trigger a fast settlement out of Bieber.
Like anyone else watching Justin’s highly emotional reaction to questions about Gomez in a now infamous March 6 deposition related to another paparazzo lawsuit, Duran’s attorney will have recognized that Selena is Bieber’s Achilles Heel.
Not just because of what she may or may not have seen in a parking lot in May 2012, but in understanding if Bieber reacts so strongly to mere questions about Gomez it’s almost certain he will settle the Duran case rather than let his girl go through a deposition.
Take a look at the clip below.
“Don’t ask me about her again,” Bieber repeats eight times while shaking his finger at the opposing counsel, when asked if he had ever discussed his feelings about paparazzi with Gomez.
It was a golden moment for Mark DiCowden – the attorney representing paparazzo Jeffrey Binion – who claims Bieber told his guards to confront him outside a Miami recording studio last June after he photographed the star. DiCowden has since filed a motion asking a judge to order Justin to a second deposition to grill him about Gomez and is set to subpoena the Disney alum next week.
A deposition is the opposing side’s “Discovery” opportunity to put a witness on oath and go on a fishing trip using whatever strategy they see fit. The witness is rarely — if ever — the winner as the attorney has years of experience and sets the tone and content.
DiCowden’s interrogative manner in Bieber’s deposition expertly pushed the singer’s buttons, prompting defensive and sullen behavior. This will play badly with a jury in the unlikely event the Binion case goes to trial.
According to SurvivingADeposition.com and standard law sources, 90 percent of all cases are resolved before trial and for most people a deposition is all the trial they’ll get.
However, for Gomez, even that is unlikely.
Short of Selena getting married to Justin which would invoke marital privilege and mean she couldn’t be forced to testify against him in any legal setting – subpoena or no subpoena; the countdown to Bieber paying Duran to go wherever paparazzi who hit payday jackpots go to celebrate starts now.
