Keanu Reeves tries to get his case dismissed
More jibber-jabber(wocky) from the paparazzo suing Keanu Reeves.
In response to the actor’s motion to dismiss a negligence lawsuit against him, brought by a shutterbug who claims he was dinged by Reeves’s Porsche while angling for a pic, the plaintiff’s camp invoked Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in explaining why the suit should live on.
“Even in Wonderland, the jury would need to hear from the witnesses before making a conclusion on such a question of fact,” wrote attorney Joseph Farzam, who’s representing photog Alison Silva, in court documents filed Monday.
Considering even the Knave of Hearts was granted a trial when he was accused of stealing tarts in Carroll’s fantastical world, “Accordingly, [Silva] requests that the court decline [Reeves'] invitation to dive into the looking glass by granting [dismissal].”
Farzam also uses the thriller The Devil’s Advocate to get his point across: “Without citation to any binding authority in support of finding [grounds for dismissal] on a claim for battery…Reeves, like the devil’s advocate he once portrayed, seeks dismissal.”
Resolution of Silva’s claim necessitates a jury trial, Farzam concludes.
Reeves has denied purposely running into Silva, maintaining that the paparazzo’s feet “tripped over each other” and that Silva told a bystander at the scene, “I am a paparazzo. He is a movie star. It was an accident.”
“At no time did my vehicle make contact with Mr. Silva other than when [he] bent over and placed his hand on the hood of my car,” Reeves’ declaration stated.
Per court documents, the Matrix star figured that Silva was a paparazzo “because of the aggressive manner in which he was photographing me as I walked toward my car, by which I mean repeated, multiple photographs using a strobe light.”
He then started to ease out of his parking spot, engaging and disengaging the clutch to indicate that he was leaving.
“I then slowly re-engaged the clutch causing the car to move forward,” Reeves continued. “Mr. Silva began to back up. Mr. Silva then placed a hand on the hood of my car and continued to walk backwards as my car inched forward.
“Mr. Silva continued to take a few more steps backward as his feet tripped over each other. At this point, I stopped my car. Mr. Silva struggled to stand up and lost his balance and fell to the ground.”
Reeves maintains that he was not covering his face as he pulled out of the space, nor did he peel away in an erratic manner, as Silva claims he did.
A hearing on the actor’s motion to dismiss is scheduled for Sept. 22.
WENN
