Rod Stewart and son plead guilty to battery - but won't face punishment
A lawyer for the singer says no one was injured in the altercation involving a security guard in 2019.
Last updated 18th Dec 2021
Rod Stewart and his son Sean have pleaded guilty to battery following an altercation with a security guard in 2019.
The pair faced assault charges after they were refused access to a private event at a hotel in Florida on New Year's Eve.
A lawyer for the singer says no one was injured.
"No one was injured in the incident and a jury did not find Sir Rod Stewart guilty of the accusation," his lawyer said in a statement.
"Instead, Sir Rod Stewart decided to enter a plea to avoid the inconvenience and unnecessary burden on the court and the public that a high profile proceeding would cause."
The plea agreement, dated and signed Monday 13 December, means that Stewart, 76, and his son, 41, will not have to appear in court and formal adjudication of the charge was withheld.
There will be no trial.
Neither will do any jail time or be required to pay fines and will not be placed on probation.
The Stewarts were accused of a physical altercation with security guard Jessie Dixon at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach on 31 December 2019.
The dispute involved Mr Dixon's refusal to allow them into a private New Year's Eve party at the hotel.
He said in court papers that Rod Stewart punched him in the rib cage with a closed fist and that Sean Stewart shoved him.
A spokesperson for Palm Beach State Attorney, whose office prosecuted the case, said in an email that Mr Dixon agreed with the outcome of the case.
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