Justin Bieber Ordered To Deposition In Bodyguard Paparazzo Case During World Tour

Justin Bieber has been ordered by a judge to attend a Florida deposition for a paparazzo-filed court lawsuit during his upcoming Purpose World Tour.

The lawsuit centers on a claim by paparazzo Manuel Munoz, who alleges he was locked and injured in a Subway restaurant after he was chased by the Canadian superstar’s former bodyguard, Dwayne Patterson, back in January, 2014.

The alleged incident took place hours before Bieber was arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence.

As it stands, the majority of the heartthrob’s legal cases from 2014 have reportedly been settled, apart from this case and another paparazzo-related case.

The Miami Herald reports Miami-Dade County records reveal the “Sorry” singer told Judge Bagley — via his legal team — that he would not be available from February 16 to December 31 because of work. However, the judge ordered the Biebs to attend a deposition in Florida instead of his home state of California before July 31, or face legal consequences.

TMZ claims Justin’s lawyers previously said the hitmaker had two free days in February, but the dates did not work for Munoz’s team.

Bieber kicks off his Purpose Tour in support of his same name latest album, in Seattle, Washington, on March 9. Fast forward to July, the 21-year-old is scheduled to rock Jacksonville and Orlando on July 1 and 2, respectively. It’s likely the star will attend a deposition around those dates.

Mark DiCowden, attorney for paparazzo Manuel Munoz, reportedly said that “The judge understands Bieber is making it hard on us.”

DiCowden famously ran rings around Bieber during a deposition in March, 2014, which was for a lawsuit brought by another Miami paparazzo, Jeffrey Binion.

Binion claimed he was assaulted by one of the singer’s bodyguards. That case was eventually settled out of court.

Meanwhile, on a lighter note, the singer recently revealed he is holding off on serious relationships during his tour so that he doesn’t disappoint any potential gal pals, or his present one — the model Hailey Baldwin.

In his recent GQ cover story, Justin told writer Caity Weaver that while he’d “love” to get married someday — right now, while he is young and busy, he doesn’t feel ready to settle down.

“I don’t want to put anyone in a position where they feel like I’m only theirs, only to be hurt in the end,” the singer said.

Explaining, he added, “Right now in my life, I don’t want to be held down by anything. I already have a lot that I have to commit to. A lot of responsibilities. I don’t want to feel like the girl I love is an added responsibility.”

The singer continued, “I know that in the past I’ve hurt people and said things that I didn’t mean to make them happy in the moment. So now I’m just more so looking at the future, making sure I’m not damaging them.”

He added, “What if Hailey ends up being the girl I’m gonna marry, right? If I rush into anything, if I damage her, then it’s always gonna be damaged.” He concluded, “It’s really hard to fix wounds like that. It’s so hard… I just don’t want to hurt her.”

The Biebs’ comments come after over a year of speculation by the rumor mill after he and a then 18-year-old, Hailey, were first spotted hanging out in New York in November, 2014. In fact, the pair have known each other since 2009.

From there, the two were frequently seen together having fun, going on church-related trips, dining out, playing games, attending sports matches, a family holiday in Anguilla, and St. Barts over New Year’s, during which Bieber shared a snap of himself and Baldwin kissing, amid other cozy shots.

For her part, Hailey confirmed she and Justin are not exclusive in a brief red-carpet interview with E! News at the recent AMFar event in New York.

“We are not an exclusive couple,” she noted to E! at the 2016 amfAR New York Gala on Wednesday. “He’s about to go on tour.” She continued, “Relationships at this age are already complicated, but I don’t really like to talk about it because it’s between me and him.”

The Inquisitr will have updates on Bieber’s ongoing case with Munoz, including the upcoming Florida deposition.

[Images via The Wall Group]