Kanye West Sued by Photog for Alleged Beatdown

Paparazzo claims the "Gold Digger" hitmaker's security guards manhandled him when he tried to photograph the rapper at a May 2008 bash in New York City

By Josh Grossberg Jan 06, 2011 4:08 PMTags
Kanye West, Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Kanye West's Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy now includes a nightmare of a lawsuit.

A Manhattan paparazzo is suing the hip-hop superstar and his bodyguards for allegedly roughing him up at a May 2008 bash.

Per the lawsuit—filed in New York and a copy of which was obtained by the New York Daily News—Michael Vazquez claims he was "assaulted, battered, beat and threatened" by West and his crew when he tried to photograph the rapper at Guastavino's, a city landmark underneath the Queensboro Bridge.

The event marked the 25th anniversary of Casio's G-Shock watch and the 33-year-old emcee was paid a cool $1 million to perform for the occasion, which included a rendition of "Can't Tell Me Nothing" alongside four topless women who donned astronaut helmets.

If the photographer gets his way, however, that money might be coming to him.

Vazquez is seeking unspecified damages, alleging for pain and suffering stemming from the scuffle that included bruises and a dislocated shoulder.

A rep for West could not be reached for comment.

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