Paparazzi Ditch Britney for Miley
Posted on March 31, 2008
Filed Under Assault, Celebrities, Law, News, Paparazzi |
You can tell who’s hot in Hollywood by the number of paparazzi following in their wake. Apparently Britney is out and Miley is in. Only 6 paparazzi were following popwreck Britney Spears last week, while a hoard of 30 jostled for snaps of Miley Cyrus, star of Disney’s popular TV show Hannah Montana.
Paparazzi are celebrity hunters who use aggressive and intrusive tactics to photograph, videotape or record the private lives of the rich and famous and their families and then sell those illegally-obtained images. In California, paparazzi have a First Amendment right to photograph celebrities and public figures in public places. Unfortunately, some paparazzi use overly aggressive tactics that conflict with the Constitutional rights of their victims. Traffic accidents have been caused by frightened celebrities fleeing from packs of paparazzi. Angry celebrities pushed to their limits by incessant and aggressive paparazzi sometimes lash out in frustration. Celebrities are fighting the invasion of privacy by charging belligerent paparazzi with criminal trespass, assault, false imprisonment, stalking and battery.
On January 1, 1999, California enacted the nation’s first civil anti-paparazzi law. The law protects celebrities from both the physical invasion of privacy from trespass and the constructive invasion of privacy from remote audio- or video-enhancing devices. On September 30, 2005, the law was expanded to punish paparazzi for altercations caused by their activities. The new law triples damages that can be awarded to a celebrity and strips photographers of the right to profit from illegally-obtained images. In addition to a civil lawsuit, paparazzi in California may now be subject to criminal charges including assault, assault with a deadly weapon, battery, conspiracy, false imprisonment, stalking and trespass.
Unruly paparazzi have created a difficult work climate for legitimate photographers and photojournalists. Some celebrities have become hyper-sensitive in protecting their privacy. While paparazzi are often charged with misdemeanors, criminal charges can result in jail time, heavy fines and significant loss of income when photos can’t be sold.
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