A judge Thursday denied a motion by attorneys for Latin legend Luis Miguel to limit to $25,000 any damages a photographer may receive for allegedly being beaten up at LAX by a member of the singer’s entourage in an incident recorded by airport security cameras.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Holly Fujie said plaintiff Tony Echevarria alleges he suffered significant property damage and losses and also is seeking punitive damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“In light of this, along with plaintiff’s loss of earnings, property damage and medical expense claims, the court cannot conclude that this action necessarily involves less than $25,000,” Fujie wrote in denying a defense request to transfer the case to another court that handles cases worth no more than that amount.
Echevarria’s suit states that he was filming the singer on April 19, 2015 —Miguel’s 45th birthday — when a bodyguard escorting the entertainer pushed the plaintiff to the ground and battered him.
Echevarria was shooting from a distance and was not a threat to Miguel or anyone with him, according to the lawsuit.
“In fact, Miguel’s bodyguards have repeatedly attacked journalists and others in Los Angeles, Miami, Aspen and other locales to try and control what kind of images of the star appear in the social media, the suit alleges.
Miguel, 47, is often referred to as El Sol de Mexico” and is one of the most successful artists in Latin American history.
— City News Service