Sir Rod Stewart could very well be on the receiving end of a lawsuit stemming from his fracas at a Florida hotel on New Year's Eve.
At the time, the singer was charged with simple battery after allegedly punching a security guard named Jessie Dixon. On Sunday, The Sun reported that the security guard at the Breakers Hotel is considering suing the 74-year-old rocker for damages.
"We are going to come from a civil point of view. There's a criminal case which we're not involved in," attorney Gawayne Kelly told The Scottish Sun. "We're still talking to Mr Dixon figuring out what's the best route to take. It's early in the process."
According to a probable cause affidavit, Rod told police he and his family were trying to get the children in their group access to a private event at the hotel. Jessie resisted, telling Rod and his group that they didn't have access to the area and asked them to leave. Around this time, Rod's son Sean Stewart allegedly got "nose to nose" with Jessie. A skirmish eventually ensued and police said Rod Stewart then punched the security guard in his left ribcage area.
Surveillance footage shows that Rod and Sean were the "primary aggressors," according to the affidavit.
Legal experts say it's highly likely the situation will be settled out of court.
"You can ask for anything in a complaint but it doesn't mean you'll get it. A great deal depends on the actual damages," Professor Michael Froomkin, from the University of Miami School of Law, told The Sun. "In this case we just don't know how badly the person was injured, how high the medical bills were or how long they were out of work. The less the actual damages, the less the total value."
He added, "There are three kinds of damages. One is out of pocket costs, like medical bills. The second are so-called pain and suffering damages which are to some extent up to the jury's discretion but subject to a judicial review. The third are punitive damages which are quite rare."
Rod and Sean have been ordered to appear at Palm Beach county court on February 5.