Rod: No trial after fight claim
Sir Rod Stewart is expected to avoid an assault trial after reaching an agreement with his alleged victim.
The singer, 76, and his son Sean, 40, could have faced up to a year in prison over an incident involving hotel bouncer Jesse Dixon, 34, in Palm Beach, Florida, on New Year’s Eve in 2019.
Both father and son have pleaded not guilty to charges of simple battery but, following lengthy negotiations, and with just a week to go before a deadline set by a judge, it has been reported that
Stewart has reached an agreement with the security guard’s legal team, who had been seeking compensation, and the charges may now be dropped completely.
Reports yesterday said Dixon’s lawyers had revealed that an agreement has been reached with the
Stewarts on the civil front, paving the way for the criminal case to be dropped.
Dixon’s lawyer Gawayne Kelly said: “Our client wants to move on. He doesn’t want to have Mr Stewart prosecuted. He wants to put this incident behind him.”
The incident was reportedly caught by cameras at a hotel near the star’s beachfront home. Sir Rod is said to have “sucker punched” the guard while Sean was accused of shoving him after they were refused entry to a party.
A jury trial remains set for September 14, with the judge indicating he would accept a deal up to 10 days before then.
No details of a possible financial settlement have been revealed.
The Stewarts’ legal team and the State Attorney’s department did not comment.