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Justin Bieber ordered to sit for deposition - report

Written by . Published: September 29 2016

Justin Bieber has reportedly been ordered to sit for a deposition as part of an ongoing lawsuit with a Florida paparazzo.


Manuel Munoz claims the singer instructed his bodyguard, Dwayne Patterson, to lock him in a Subway sandwich restaurant in January, 2014, after spotting the photographer taking pictures of Bieber leaving a nightclub in Miami Beach.


According to legal papers filed five months later in May, 2014, Patterson chased Munoz into the diner, locked the restaurant door and cornered him in the bathroom, demanding that Munoz delete the photos.


The snapper alleges Patterson tried to forcibly remove the memory card, damaging the camera, and then kicked and punched him.


On Wednesday (28Sep16), the Baby star's lawyers reportedly appeared in a Florida courthouse and were given 30 days to get the 22-year-old in a room for a deposition. According to TMZ.com, if Bieber fails to show for the hearing within that time frame a writ of bodily attachment will be issued.


Bieber is currently on his Purpose World Tour, which doesn't end until November (16), so it is unclear when he will be able to return to Miami for the deposition.


Munoz is seeking unspecified damages for the alleged altercation, which reportedly took place moments before Bieber was arrested by Miami police officers, who spotted him drag racing with a pal. He was slapped with counts for driving under the influence (DUI), resisting arrest without violence and driving with an expired license.


Bieber initially pleaded not guilty to the counts, only to strike a plea deal with prosecutors, which required him to enter guilty pleas for lesser, misdemeanor charges of careless driving and resisting arrest.


Under the terms of the agreement, the DUI count was dropped and the singer was ordered to complete 12 hours of anger management counseling, pay a series of fines, and donate $50,000 to a local children's charity.

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