Legal

Bieber paternity suit dropped, but baby claims remain

By | Published on Thursday 17 November 2011

Justin Bieber

So, is the Bieber baby story – insanely irritating for the teen popster and his people, and a joy to behold for tabloid hacks everywhere – already over?

Well, yesterday it seemed so. TMZ revealed that Mariah Yeater, the American woman who claimed Justin Bieber fathered her young son during a brief sexual liaison in a toilet backstage at LA’s Staples Center last year, had withdrawn the paternity lawsuit that kicked off this whole story. Bieber, of course, has denied ever meeting Yeater, and after a bit of flapping by his reps the popster announced he’d take a paternity test to prove the claimant was lying. His lawyers added that once that was done they’d sue her for defamation.

Yesterday’s TMZ report said Yeater’s legal team had backed away from the case – despite insisting their client had “credible evidence” that Bieber was her child’s father – possibly fearing the ramifications of the promised libel lawsuit.

But then another lawyer told reporters in Chicago that, while Yeater had withdrawn her actual paternity lawsuit, she hadn’t withdrawn her claims, that they expected the Biebster to still take a paternity test when he returns to the US, and that they then hope to negotiate directly with the pop star without going to court.

Attorney Jeffery Leving told WGNtv: “She believes Justin Bieber is the father. Negotiations are going on right now with Bieber’s counsel and we’re trying to negotiate a private, secure DNA test with the same safeguards that would exist if there were a court order, but without a court order. This matter is not over”.

So, even though I think we all expect that paternity test to prove Bieber isn’t a philandering liar, this story isn’t quite dead yet.



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