Ex-bodyguard sues Justin Bieber for assault, wages
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A former bodyguard for Justin Bieber sued the pop superstar Thursday seeking more than $420,000 in overtime and other wages and claims he was repeatedly struck by the singer during an October confrontation.
Moshe Benabou's lawsuit claims Bieber berated him and repeatedly punched him in the chest after a disagreement about how to handle a member of the Grammy-nominated singer's entourage. After he walked away, Bieber fired him, Benabou's lawsuit claims.
Benabou claims he was mistakenly told that he wasn't entitled to receive overtime despite working 14 to 18 hour days between March 2011 and October 2012.
An email message sent to Bieber's publicist was not immediately returned.
Benabou is seeking unspecified damages on the assault and battery claims and $421,261 in unpaid overtime, vacation and other wage benefits.
"For nearly two years Mr. Benabou devoted himself completely to ensuring Mr. Bieber's personal safety," Benabou's attorney, Ilan Heimanson, wrote in a statement. "Mr. Benabou deserved, as does any employee, to be treated with respect, dignity and in accordance with the law. Unfortunately, he was not. "
Bieber's album "Believe" ranked No. 6 in 2012 sales with more than 1.3 million units sold.
Moshe Benabou's lawsuit claims Bieber berated him and repeatedly punched him in the chest after a disagreement about how to handle a member of the Grammy-nominated singer's entourage. After he walked away, Bieber fired him, Benabou's lawsuit claims.
Benabou claims he was mistakenly told that he wasn't entitled to receive overtime despite working 14 to 18 hour days between March 2011 and October 2012.
An email message sent to Bieber's publicist was not immediately returned.
Benabou is seeking unspecified damages on the assault and battery claims and $421,261 in unpaid overtime, vacation and other wage benefits.
"For nearly two years Mr. Benabou devoted himself completely to ensuring Mr. Bieber's personal safety," Benabou's attorney, Ilan Heimanson, wrote in a statement. "Mr. Benabou deserved, as does any employee, to be treated with respect, dignity and in accordance with the law. Unfortunately, he was not. "
Bieber's album "Believe" ranked No. 6 in 2012 sales with more than 1.3 million units sold.
Uh...if you find Justin Bieber physically intimidating, it's definitely time to look for other work, like maybe as a 4 year-old girl. Come on, it's JUSTIN BIEBER for goodness sake.
Hes a bodyguard, shoulda protected himself.
what a cute little girl
So I must guess Justin was sexually assaulted as he's such a sexy girl.
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Leave it to Bieb to think he's a tough guy. Look out, he might scratch you and it would get infected. This kid has limited shelf life. To bad the body guard didn't mess up his purty face.
Assault, eh? What did he do, finally take out his earplugs during a concert?
That should be grounds enough.
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As far as assault and being struck by Justin Bieber...LOL! That's kinda like getting stomped on by a butterfly, isn't it?
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I still wonder if he's ever gonna hit puberty. Isn't he like 30 now? :-P
When is JB going to finnaly come out of the closet?
Great idea for a new movie.....First Blood 2 starring Justin Bieber. "Were gonna need a good supply of body bags"
 @special effectsÂ
Don't you mean vomit bags?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoNmdAQkH8A
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Bieber?? Assault?? This guy couldn't assault a caterpillar .
LOL! Â He's gonna catch hell at the next bodyguard club meeting. Â He got beat up by Justin Bieber! Â
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 @negativerep he probably won't care if he catches 421 g's