Justin Bieber Sued for $9 Million Over Hearing Loss
Justin Bieber has been hit with a $9 million lawsuit by an Oregon woman who says a screaming fan permanently damaged her hearing at one of the pop star’s shows, reports TheWrap.com. Filing a suit against Bieber, his label Island Def Jam, live promoter AEG Worldwide and Vulcan Sports and Entertainment, Stacey Wilson Betts cites a July 14th, 2010 concert in Portland in which Bieber “climbed into a heart-shaped, aluminum/steel gondola and was pulled out over the crowd” and “enticed the crowd into a frenzy of screams by continuously waving his arms in a quick and upward motion.”
Betts claims Bieber’s actions took the audio assault to the next level. “The gondola that Justin Bieber was suspended in acted as a sound conductor, creating a sound blast that permanently damaged both of my ears,” she says. Now, Betts says she suffers from “hearing loss, severe tinnitus and hyperacusis (an oversensitivity to certain frequency ranges of sound) in both ears.”
Betts is seeking $9,230,000 in damages, plus legal fees. A rep for Bieber has yet to comment. Bieber will kick off his North American “Believe” tour on September 29th in Glendale, Arizona.