Woman Smacked By Long Arm of Jude Law

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Jude Law
Splash News
A female photographer claims to have gotten a "real stinger" of a slap from Jude Law outside a London restaurant on Thursday morning and is considering legal action against the 'Cold Mountain' actor.
Harsha Gopal was among a group of paparazzi taking pictures of the actor as he was leaving an eatery called Automat when flashes went off and there was confusion, leading the star to flail his arms around, striking the woman.
"He hit me full on the face, it was a real stinger, it was very sore," she claimed in comments to the Daily Mail after the incident. "It was really loud -- there was a massive thud and my face is still stinging today. It was deliberate -- you could see it in his face. Maybe he didn't realize he was hitting a girl, but he could at least apologize."
Law's lawyer has responded, calling the claims "nonsense" and disputing Gopal's assertion that he didn't say he was sorry.
"Last night's incident was an accident. Jude was blinded by the camera flashes when he left the restaurant, raised his hand to shield himself and inadvertently struck somebody standing very close. He apologized and left. Pictures of this sort can often be misleading."
Gopal suffered no injuries, but is now considering whether to press charges.
Law has had his brush-ups with snappers before, including an incident in 2007 where he was accused of assaulting a man who was taking photos near his home. The case was eventually dropped.
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Stars vs. Paparazzi
Sometimes celebs fight back - check out which stars have tossed their words (and occasionally fists) at the offending photogs.
Bauer-Griffin
Bauer-Griffin

Stars v. Paparazzi

    Jude Law is accused of deliberately hitting a female photographer outside a restaurant in the early hours of July 23. "He hit me full on the face, it was a real stinger," says Harsha Gopal, who is considering legal action against the actor. He claims he was blinded by all the flashes and hit her accidentally.

    Splash News

    Lindsay Lohan fought photos with water (gun) in Malibu, squirting paparazzi as they trailed her around town.

    Splash News

    Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal are seen here looking none-too-happy to see a photographer snapping photos of them in Hollywood. As the photographer lingered, Gyllenhaal became visibly angered.

    Bauer-Griffin

    After exchanging some words with the photogs, Gyllenhaal and Witherspoon went on their way without any major incident.

    Bauer-Griffin

    In June of 2008, 'Dancing With the Stars' contestant Steve Guttenberg was in no mood to be photographed while on a jog, grabbing the camera from a paparazzo and threatening to punch him. According to the photo agency Bauer-Griffin, Guttenberg was "was munching on a banana after a jog" when he "suddenly became wildly angry, motioning to punch a photographer and grabbing at a videographer's camera."

    Bauer-Griffin

    Hugh Grant kicked a TMZ photographer in the groin while he was leaving The Waverly Inn in New York. But this isn't his first paparazzi "run in." In April 2007, Grant hurled a container of baked beans at a photographer lurking outside his home. According to the paparazzo, Grant left him "bruised, battered" and covered in the saucy legumes. The 'Bridget Jones' actor was arrested but never charged.

    Nicola Asfouri, AFP / Getty Images

    Kelly Osbourne's fiance Luke Worrall began throwing eggs at the paparazzi when she arrived home on April 6, 2009.

    X17

    Hayden Panettiere lost her cool with paparazzi on the red carpet at a fundraiser in Honolulu. One reporter tried to get Panettiere's attention and touched her shoulder. Panettiere turned around and screamed, "Don't you ever touch me!" Before going inside, the 'Heroes' star snapped, "You all make my life miserable."

    Axel Schmidt, AFP / Getty Images

    "We need to make a distinction between people who photograph celebrities at events and people who climb over your wall wearing camouflage and calling out your kids names as you take them to school so they'll look that way," Brad Pitt tells Ann Curry of the 'Today Show'. "I have no respect for these people... There should be laws against it."

    Dave Hogan, Getty Images

    Lindsay Lohan described her car accident to Lauren Hutton in Interview Magazine: "I wouldn't have been speeding up like I was if I didn't have people shoving cameras in my windows.... I was running away from the paparazzi... I mean, I know this guy was trying to do his job, but his "job" almost landed me half-dead."

    X17online

After a quiet 2008 in which he appeared in no films, Law will again be in the spotlight later this year when fans can watch him as Dr. John Watson in the sure-fire hit, 'Sherlock Holmes.' It's release date is Christmas Day.
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2009-07-23 09:06:23