Nelly Settles With Photographer

St. Louis rapper Nelly reached a settlement today (April 21) regarding a claim that his bodyguard assaulted a photographer backstage at a concert in Bridgeport, Conn. In order to avoid a civil trial, the two sides reached an agreement in which Nelly, born Cornell Haynes Jr., agreed to pay $20,000. The lawsuit was filed by Jerry Livingston, a 39-year-old freelance photographer from Bridgeport. The alleged incident took place at the Arena at Harbor Yard on April 12, 2005. According to the lawsuit, Livingston was standing near the stage snapping photos of Nelly for the Chocolate City News when the rapper's bodyguard Brian Jones grabbed him by the right arm and escorted him to the rear of the stage. The suit further states that Jones proceeded to "violently hit, strike and grab" Livingston, causing him to sustain serious injuries. While the issues regarding Nelly and Jones have been settled, Livingston is still filing lawsuits against the city of Bridgeport and the Arena at Harbor Yard.