Lawyer: Keanu's No More Popular Than O.J.

Attorney for paparazzo who claims actor hit him with his car argues against sealing Reeves' deposition, saying he's "certainly not more popular" than some whose trials have been televised

By Natalie Finn May 28, 2008 11:00 PMTags
Keanu ReevesAP Photo/Phil McCarten

He may have crossed big-screen paths with Abe Lincoln, but the real-life Keanu Reeves is "certainly not more important than the president of the United States."

So said the lawyer representing a paparazzo who's suing Reeves in arguing that there's no reason to seal the actor's upcoming deposition, per documents filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Noting that former President Bill Clinton's testimony during the Monica Lewinsky scandal had been televised, attorney Joseph Farzam also aruged that Reeves is no more "popular than O.J. Simpson, whose deposition and in fact entire trial proceedings were televised."

"Although he has fans and a few of his movies have been quite popular, the public has not shown much interest in his public private life unlike Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and
Anna Nicole Smith," Farzam continued.

Shutterbug Alison Silva has occused the Matrix star of hitting him with his Porsche in March 2007 while pulling out of a parking space in Rancho Palos Verdes, leaving him with injuries and diminished earning power.

A hearing on Reeves' motion to seal his deposition is scheduled for June 9, while the case is set to go to trial Oct. 27.

Reeve's legal camp—headed up by the same attorney who successfully lobbied the court to keep Lindsay Lohan's deposition in a car accident-related negligence suit under wraps—contends the video, if obtained by the media, "will undoubtedly be analyzed
frame by frame in an attempt to embarrass Mr. Reeves."

Meaning, the depo tape could end up on the $1 DVD rack alongside A Walk in the Clouds and The Lake House?