Rod Stewart and son face battery charges after a New Year's event in Florida

2020 is already hard at work, ushering in fresh legal trouble for some celebrities—especially those who bravely decided to spend their New Year’s in Florida (which is always a risk, at best). This time we’re talking about Rod Stewart, who has been charged with simple battery after allegedly punching a security guard at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach. According to a report obtained by CNN, the altercation began when the children of Stewart’s group were denied entry into a private event. The family “began to get loud and cause a scene,” which led to guard Jessie Dixon asking them to leave.

Matters escalated with son Sean Stewart stepped to Dixon until they were “nose to nose,” failing to adhere to all requests for them to exit. The guard reportedly placed a hand on Sean’s chest in an effort to gain some space. Sean then pushed Dixon rather aggressively, per the affidavit, which was then followed by Rod Stewart punching the guard in his “left ribcage area.” The police obtained security footage of the exchange and identified the Rod and Sean Stewart as the “primary aggressors” in the final report. However, none of the Stewarts were detained in the matter, though Dixon has decided to press charges. The Stewart family has not made a public statement as of yet.