Justin Bieber Sued By Paparazzo Over 2013 Cleared Hit And Run Incident

Justin Bieber is being sued by a paparazzo he allegedly struck with his Ferrari during an alleged hit and run incident in 2013. Although Bieber was later cleared of criminal wrongdoing. the photog is alleging in his lawsuit that he was left so badly injured “he may never recover.”

The lawsuit arises from a June 17, 2013 incident when Bieber attempted to leave a parked position in his Ferrari, after exiting the Laugh Factory comedy club on the Sunset Strip with pal rapper Lil Twist, TMZ reports.

After a subsequent police investigation into the alleged hit-and-run, Bieber was cleared of all wrongdoing.

At the time, paparazzi — including the current suing paparazzo, Walter Lee, who is referred to as Damon Walter in 2013 reports – bombarded Bieber with flash photography and left him with no space to maneuver once he got into his Ferrari.

After it was indicated to paparazzi to move out of the way by requests from one of Bieber’s bodyguards and motioning by the then 19-year-old star, a “clear path” was eventually made.

However, as Bieber pulled out, Lee — who was still in the road — ended up pinned between the singer’s Ferrari and a parked car.

In video footage, Lee dropped his camera on the hood of the Ferrari and fell to the ground clutching his leg.

He was subsequently taken to a local hospital and treated for minor scrapes to his leg before being released.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigated whether Bieber had knowingly left the scene of an accident.

Bieber claimed through his attorney that he was unaware of contact with Lee when he drove off.

On July 31, 2013, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s prosecutors announced they were not filing criminal charges against the singer for allegedly hitting a paparazzo.

The prosecutors’ filing rejection statement said Bieber’s claim that he did not know he had hit someone was “reasonable and credible” given the chaos of the situation.

Prosecutors said that Bieber pulled away from the curb through a “clear path” when Walter “suddenly stepped in front of” the vehicle.

The statement declared Walter was “at fault in the collision due to being in the roadway and blocking Bieber’s vehicle.”

“There were over a dozen paparazzi surrounding his [Bieber’s] car and on the sidewalk, and it was noisy with camera flashes and bright lights surrounding him,” the document continued.

“Given the scene and the stress of the situation, it is likely that Bieber did not know he had hit Walter,” the statement added.

Fast forward to 2014, Walter is claiming in his lawsuit that his injuries are severe.

According to TMZ, who obtained a copy of the lawsuit, the paparazzo is claiming his injuries include – lacerations, hematomas, deep abrasions on his left knee and leg and deep venous thrombosis.

Walter alleges he has incurred hospital and other medical bills, which likely includes mental stress from the paradox of working out how to convince a potential jury that injuries he may have received after willingly standing in the path of a moving car – is anyone’s fault but his.

News of the damages case comes after Bieber was involved in a minor car crash in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, after the Cadillac Escalade he was traveling in was reportedly chased by a paparazzo then hit by a BMW SUV driver pulling out from a parking construct.

Bieber was a passenger in the Escalade, not the driver.

Take a look at the footage in both videos readers. Should Justin Bieber be sued?

If not, where do you think the fault for the incident lies?

Let us know in comments below.