Lawyers for legendary musician Rod Stewart were in a South Florida courtroom Tuesday morning over a battery charge stemming from a New Year’s Eve altercation with a security guard at a West Palm Beach hotel.
NBC affiliate WPTV-TV reports Stewart's right to a speedy trial was waived and a pretrial hearing was set for April 17. Stewart has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The 74-year-old British singer and his son, Sean, are accused of assaulting a security guard who denied them access to a private party at the Breakers Hotel because they were not on the list for the event.
Sean Stewart allegedly got nose-to-nose with the security guard, according to a probable cause affidavit. The guard told police that when he put his right hand on Sean's chest and hold him to back up, the younger Stewart shoved the guard and Rod Stewart punched him in his ribcage, according to the affidavit.
Officers viewed security footage from the resort showing the Stewarts were the “primary aggressors” and each was issued a notice to appear in court earlier this month.
The "Forever Young" singer apologized for his behavior, according to the document.
