Nick Lachey has been ordered to attend anger management classes and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings nearly a year after he accosted a female photographer who was snapping pictures from her car.
Veteran celebrity photographer Jody Santos told DailyMail.com that she is still waiting for an apology from the singer, but doesn't think it will come anytime soon.
'Until this day, Nick hasn't taken any responsibility. He's justified it. He thought this was done, but it's not done,' Santos said in an exclusive interview.
'A personal apology was declined, then a written apology was declined. No one from his team has reached out and asked, ''Are you ok?'''
According to documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Lachey, 49, was charged with assault and battery under California Penal Code 242. Santos said that after months of hounding the Beverly Hills Police Department, Lachey was ordered to complete 52 sessions of anger management classes and attend AA meetings.
Nick Lachey has been charged with assault and battery after accosting celebrity photographer Jody Santos in March 2022
Santos, who has been in the paparazzi business for 18 years, recorded the singer approaching her car, reaching through the window and attempting to snatch her phone
Lachey, 49, was seen flipping off paparazzi after he was snapped leaving Mastro's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills on March 27, 2022
Santos said, 'He's had plenty of time to apologize, but instead he just figured I would go away. What he did was wrong. Attempting to bust his fist through my car window when all I was doing was taking photographs of him. He should have been thanking me for the free publicity. I mean, really. Talk about an oversized ego.'
The incident happened last year on March 27 in Beverly Hills when Lachey was leaving dinner with his wife and Love Is Blind co-host Vanessa . He went ballistic after discovering he was being photographed by Santos, who was sitting in her car across the street.
Video shows the former 98 Degrees singer approaching Santos's car, reaching through the window, attempting to snatch her phone and spewing profanities.
Santos told DailyMail.com that she is still waiting for an apology, but doesn't think it will come anytime soon
'In all my years of photographing celebrities, no one has ever tried to hit me. I am just relieved that I rolled up my window as fast as I did, otherwise he would have knocked me out. No doubt about it.'
Following the actor's outburst, Santos filed a police report and a complaint with Beverly Hills Police and after months of phone calls with the District Attorney's office, along with plenty of persistence, she got the result she wanted in February.
Under California law, prosecutors can offer defendants a 'pre-filing diversion' which allows them to keep a clean criminal record if they complete certain requirements such as anger management classes and AA meetings.
'He has to complete them within a reasonable time which is like a year or so,' Santos explained. 'If he fails to do so, they will move forward to prosecute him with non-compliance and he will get arrested.
'I kept calling the DA's office and told them that I thought he was getting preferential treatment, so finally they called me back and said, ''No he's not getting preferential treatment'' and explained that they have a program with the courts where they don't let misdemeanors just walk, they have to attend anger management classes and AA meetings.'
Santos, who has been in the paparazzi business for 18 years, explained how it is common practice to drive around Beverly Hills and snap photos of celebrities leaving fancy restaurants.
On the night of the attack, Santos drove by the popular Mastro's Steakhouse where she saw Lachey and his wife – the former Miss Teen USA Vanessa Minillo – exiting.
She pulled over across the street and began taking photographs. What happened next was a complete shock to the photographer who captured the incident on camera.
'Nick's not really on the radar. I just saw him and I figured I would get a shot of a couple coming out of a restaurant. I have taken photos of him plenty of times and never had a problem, but this time was different,' Santos told DailyMail.com. 'He flipped me off and then I heard Vanessa say, ''Go get 'em, open the door'' and then he started walking towards my car all aggressive.'
'I immediately locked my door and rolled up my window as fast as I could. He then start punching the window. I thought he was going to break his hand, that's how hard he was hitting the glass. I am surprised he didn't shatter the window.'
Santos filed a police report and a complaint with the Beverly Hills Police Department and after months of phone calls with the District Attorney's office, along with plenty of persistence, she got the result she wanted in February
Santos tells DailyMail.com that the singer has been ordered to attend anger management classes and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for one year
The 98 Degrees singer, not realizing his outburst was being recorded can be heard yelling a slew of profanities.
Santos then described how Lachey – who was married to Jessica Simpson for three years – walked away and that's when she rolled down her window and asked him, ''Why are you being so mean to me, you used to be so nice? Why did you hit my window?'''
'I thought he was walking away. I had no idea he was going to turn around and come back, but that's what happened. And this time he called me a p**sy mother f**ker, shoved his arm through my car window, and tried to grab my cell phone. He couldn't get it because it was strapped around my neck and I was trying to lean towards the passenger's side as best I could.'
'I could smell alcohol on his breath for sure,' Santos said. 'Then he asked me, ''Is paparazzi still a thing?'' and I said yes that's why I'm here, I'm a photographer.'
The following day, Lachey took to Twitter to justify his actions writing, 'Last night, after enjoying a great dinner with my wife and our dear friend, the paparazzi harassed us as we walked back to our hotel. I clearly overreacted. I've been in this game long enough to know that their antics are sadly part of the deal. Stupid of me. Done.'
Lachey addressed the incident in a tweet, admitting he 'overreacted' but claimed he was being 'harassed'
Santos was driving through Beverly Hills when she spotted Nick and Vanessa leaving the popular Mastro's Steakhouse
Contrary to what he wrote on his Twitter, Santos told DailyMail.com that she was in no way harassing him. She never got out of her car, and another photographer on the scene remained in his car as well.
'There were only two of us, two photographers and we were just doing our job. I was basically giving Nick free publicity with a possible story about a celebrity couple going out for dinner.'
Lachey later defended his actions in a follow-up tweet implying that he was the victim of a clickbait narrative and that it was 'reckless' and 'absolutely false' to say that he had been violent or physical during his altercation with the photographer.
'I want Nick to know that it's not okay to come after a photographer, let alone a female one and use foul, sexist language.
'He needs to take accountability for his actions. It's one thing to be violent towards a woman and call her foul names, and it's another when you blame the other person and lie about what really happened. He twisted the truth and put the blame on me.'
'Nick won't be too happy when he gets snapped going to anger management classes,' said Santos. 'This all could have been avoided if Nick had just taken responsibility for his behavior. He is not above the law and as a father and a public figure, the least he can do is be a decent human being.'
The altercation with Santos is not the first time Lachey's temper has gotten the better of him. He was thrown out of an NFL game in San Diego in 2012 after getting into a shouting match with another fan.
DailyMail.com reached out to Lachey's reps for comment but received no reply.
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