INFphoto.comUPDATE: David Beckham's lawyer has released the following statement to E! News:
"The allegations against Mr. Beckham are false and are without merit. This is another in a long line of paparazzi cases where they chase celebrities and their families causing endangerment."
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No paparazzi-avoiding deed goes unpunished, it seems.
David Beckham has been sued by a disgruntled photographer who was roughed up last month by one of the soccer star's bodyguards after Beckham confronted the shutterbug in an attempt to get him off his famous back. (View the lawsuit.)
Emicles Da Mata claims he suffered serious injury Dec. 7 at the hands of Beckham's unnamed right-hand man, who is also named by the moniker Doe 1 as a defendant in the complaint.
Per the suit, Doe 1's "oppressive and despicable" actions included grabbing the plaintiff's camera and throwing it in a trash can, and then "violently" beating him when he got out of his car to retrieve it.
An eyewitness told E! News at the time that Da Mata had been trailing Beckham and wife Victoria when the Brit got out of his car and approached the paparazzo's vehicle, enticing him to come out. Per our source, when Da Mata refused to budge, Beckham's muscle went around to the passenger side and started throwing punches.
"They just can't do this," Da Mata said. "They put me on the floor, they got my camera, and they threw it in the trash can. They can't do this to us."
A police report was taken at the scene, but no criminal charges were ever filed in the incident.
Da Mata is claiming assault and battery, negligence, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress and conversion. He is seeking unspecified damages.
(Originally published on Jan. 26, 2009 at 4:43 p.m. PT)