Can Paparazzi Be Charged With Harassment?

Can Paparazzi Be Charged With Harassment?

Part of being an A-List celebrity is having paparazzi photograph you wherever you go. Whether you are on the way to the gym or eating a meal with your family, these photographers can be difficult to escape.

In some cases, they can get up close and personal, which may seem to be a bit much. While paparazzi has the right to photograph celebrities, they can be charged with harassment in certain instances, especially when it comes to children.

Last year, California passed Senate Bill No. 606, which significantly increased the existing criminal penalties for any type of harassment against children 16 years old and younger. The law is meant to reduce the amount of paparazzi harassment on children who have famous parents.

Celebrity Parents Speak Out

Jenifer Garner and Halle Berry are two of the biggest celebrities to lead the push against child harassment and Garner even testified in front of the California State Assembly Committee to help get the bill passed.

“I chose a public life,” she said. “My three children are private citizens. I love my kids. They’re beautiful and sweet and innocent, and I don’t want a gang of shouting, arguing, lawbreaking photographers who camp out everywhere we are all day, every day, to continue traumatizing my kids.”

However, children aren’t the only ones who have been successful in preventing paparazzi from harassing them. One Direction singer, Harry Styles, recently won a court order to restrict their behavior. The injunction specifically states that paparazzi is no longer able to pursue Styles in a car or motorcycle. They are also unable to put him under surveillance and wait within 50 meters of his home.

Paparazzi have been around for quite some time, and it will be interesting to see what their role is in the future if laws continue to become more strict.