Lawyers seek to protect pop singer Justin Bieber's 'personal parts' from media exposure
Lawyers for pop star Justin Bieber are asking a judge to prevent semi-clad images of the teenage singer in Miami Beach police custody following his arrest last month, from being released to the media, according to a motion filed late on Friday.
"While in custody at the Miami Beach police station the defendant was captured on videotape in various states of undress which show intimate personal parts of the defendant's body," the motion states, noting that the Florida constitution and state law prevent such images from being publicly disclosed.
Bieber, 19, was charged with driving under influence, resisting arrest and using an expired license after police say they caught him allegedly drag racing on January 23. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He also had marijuana and prescription medication for anxiety in his system at the time of his arrest, according to the state attorney's office.
One video of Bieber in police custody being patted down by and Miami Beach officer was already released to the media this week, the motion states, in violation of the law and prior to Bieber's lawyers being notified of its existence.
On Friday, Bieber's Miami lawyers Black, Srebnick, Kornspan & Stumpf, said they learned from the state attorney's office that various news media outlets had filed public records requests for all videotape footage from Bieber's time in detention.
The Miami Beach police and the state attorney's office were not immediately available to comment.
A Florida court has set a March 3 trial date for Bieber, who is Canadian, on the charges stemming from the January 23 arrest.
Bieber, whose private life has taken a tumultuous turn in the past year, was also charged last week with assaulting a limousine driver in Toronto in December.
(Reporting by David Adams; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)