Rod Stewart and his son pleaded guilty to assault in an assault following a 2019 New Years Eve altercation with a security guard at an exclusive Florida hotel.
Court transcripts released Friday show the singer and his son Sean Stewart have pleaded guilty to assault and battery.
“Nobody was hurt in the incident, and the jury did not find Sir Rod Stewart guilty of the charges,” said his lawyer, Guy Fronsteen, in a statement. “Instead, Sir Rod Stewart decided to apply to avoid the inconvenience and unnecessary burden on the court and the public that could arise from a high-profile trial.”
The hoarse-voiced, 76-year-old Stewart is a British member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2016.
The plea agreement, dated and signed on Monday, means Stewart and his 41-year-old son will not have to appear in court and a formal decision on the charges has been put on hold. There will be no trial.
According to Fronsteen, none of them will go to prison, will not be obliged to pay fines and will not be put on probation.
The Stewarts were charged with a physical altercation with security guard Jesse Dixon at the luxurious Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach on December 31, 2019. The controversy concerned Dixon’s refusal to allow them to attend a private New Year’s party at the hotel.
Dixon said in court documents that Rod Stewart punched him in the chest and that Sean Stewart pushed him.
Palm Beach attorney’s spokesman Dave Aronberg, whose office handled the case, said in an email that Dixon agreed with the outcome of the case.
Curt Anderson
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