Justin Bieber is being accused of assault, battery and damages to personal property in a new lawsuit filed Thursday (June 7) by a man named Rodney Cannon, who claims the pop star became irritated after he took a picture of him two years ago.
According to the suit, on June 8, 2016, Cannon was introduced to Bieber while socializing at the Westin Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio. Bieber allegedly removed Cannon’s sunglasses without permission and put them on. When Cannon then took Bieber’s picture, Bieber’s “demeanor dramatically changed,” according to the suit, and he became “irate,” “aggressively threatening” to harm Cannon if he did not delete the photograph.
The suit claims this happened in front of a crowd of people and that Bieber also used racial epithets.
From there, Cannon asserts Bieber grabbed his shirt as he was walking away and then punched him in the face, head and body. Rather than “engage in mutual combat,” Cannon says he subdued Bieber on the ground, at which a member of Bieber’s security detail struck him in the head, causing him to lose consciousness for a brief period of time.
The alleged incident caused Cannon physical and emotional harm, while also forcing him to miss multiple days of work, Cannon claims. His sunglasses and clothing were also destroyed, valued upwards of $1,000, per the suit. Cannon is seeking damages to be decided at trial.
Billboard has reached out to Bieber’s rep for comment but did not receive a response at time of publishing.
The incident was initially reported in 2016 when footage leaked online. Last year, it was revealed Cannon had filed a police report and the case was under investigation.
