Ian Ziering's two-year-old New Year's Eve clash with minibike riders on a Los Angeles street is now the subject of a civil lawsuit. Jacob Hernandez, one of the bikers involved in the 2023 confrontation, has sued the Beverly Hills, 90210 star for battery, assault, negligence, emotional distress, and malicious prosecution, according to a complaint cited by People.
Hernandez says he and a friend had stopped their motorbikes in front of Ziering's Mercedes during a traffic standstill on Dec. 31 of that year, and that they weren't blocking traffic. He alleges Ziering got out of his car and, "completely unprompted," shoved him into his friend, injuring both men and damaging their bikes. That initial contact, the complaint states, triggered a broader "melee" as several others moved in to help Hernandez. "[Ziering's] actions were intentional, unnecessary, and posed a foreseeable risk of physical and emotional harm, which [Hernandez] in fact suffered," the complaint states.
The lawsuit also accuses Ziering of providing "misleading information" to police that led to Hernandez's arrest in May 2024 on felony vandalism and assault with a deadly weapon charges; his family posted $50,000 bail. Hernandez says prosecutors later told him at a June 2024 arraignment that there was no criminal case against him, and he claims his reputation was harmed by how Ziering characterized the incident in media appearances and on social media. Hernandez is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as a jury trial.
Ziering previously described the episode on Instagram as an "alarming" encounter with an aggressive group of riders while he was stuck in traffic with his daughter, saying he exited his car to check for damage and then acted to protect himself. The New York Post reports that in the aftermath of the encounter, video emerged that appeared to show Ziering initiating physical contact.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
