Justin Bieber has been ordered by a circuit court judge to attend a videotaped deposition in Calif,. for a civil personal injury lawsuit filed by a Miami paparazzo against the teen star and one of his bodyguards.
The pop singer is required to turn up at the Santa Monica, Calif., law offices of Kinsella Weitzman at 10 am on January 23.
In the deposition, Bieber will be grilled by Boca Raton, Fl. attorney Larry Adler.
The lawsuit has been filed by Jeffery Binion, who alleges Hugo Hesny— then employed as Justin’s Justin’s bodyguard — assaulted him outside Miami’s Hit Factory Recording Studio. The lensman says his camera memory card was stolen as he took photos of the 19-year-old skateboarding in the studio’s parking lot on June 5.
At the time, it was investigated as a misdemeanor battery by Miami Dade police officers called out to the scene by Hesny. According to Gossip Extra, no criminal charges have been filed.
In the complaint, Binion, 56, claims Justin ordered his crew to go after Binion.
The singer is also accused of negligence for allegedly failing to manage his bodyguards.
An extract from the suit reads:
“By instructing Defendant Hesny to forcibly take Plaintiff’s memory card from his camera, Defendant Bieber intended to cause harmful or offensive contact with the Plaintiff, and a harmful and offensive contact with the Plaintiff resulted from Bieber’s conduct.”
The photog claims he was held in a choke hold by Hesny and “strangled,” as three other guards removed a $100 memory card from his camera. Binion also says he was forced to delete material from the camera and that Hesny’s gun was visibly “displayed” during the alleged assault.
According to a subsequent report, two sources reportedly denied firearms played any part in the incident and said “the gun episode didn’t happen.”
Bieber was served on July 28 before his Detroit Believe tour concert after a deputy was reportedly able to slip papers under the Canadian’s arm.
Back in August, Justin’s lawyers responded to the filing denying the singer was negligent by hiring and failing to control Broward County private security man Hesny.
The “Baby” star has reportedly also denied personally hiring Hesny.
Adler claims in the lawsuit that Hesny is not properly licensed to work as a security guard or carry the gun Hesny allegedly had when he allegedly manhandled Binion.
Hesny’s lawyer, Elias Hilas, denies those allegations.
Of the court-appointed deposition date, Adler told Gossip Extra : “I hope to complete Bieber’s deposition in one day.
He added: “I have many questions to ask him about this incident, all of the other incidents he’s been involved in with photographers, and, if the court has allowed our claim for punitive damages, his assets and net worth. Looking forward to it.”
Bieber is currently in China moving through the Asia leg of his world tour. He is scheduled to perform next in Shanghai on Saturday before the trek hits Japan and South Korea.
[ Image via Zimbio ]