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Justin Bieber Paternity Suit Dropped

By Cynthia Hsu, Esq. on November 17, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

It's time for Beliebers to rejoice: it turns out it probably wasn't his baby. Justin Bieber's paternity suit has been dropped by would-be baby mama, Mariah Yeater. Alleged text messages sent by Yeater about the real father may also be landing the 20-year-old in some legal trouble.

Yeater's suit was quietly dropped on November 9. Her previous attorneys withdrew from representing her.

Her new attorneys, however, are still negotiating with Bieber's attorneys out of court in an effort to get him to take the paternity test. They also probably want to get Yeater a cut of Bieber's ample paycheck.

But some of Yeater's reported text messages seem to unravel her entire claim.

She allegedly sent a friend messages that indicate she knows who the real father is, and it isn't Bieber. She also sent the same friend messages asking him to delete the texts, and informing him that she would give him a cut of the money once Bieber paid up.

This means Yeater could face some legal ramifications over her claims. Specifically, she could face a suit for malicious prosecution. Malicious prosecution claims are typically brought when a plaintiff initiates a legal action or lawsuit with malice and without any probable cause.

Let's see, did Yeater have any probable cause? It depends on if Yeater's text messages are confirmed as real. If they are, it would seem that she did intentionally instigate a lawsuit with no factual basis.

But don't hold your breath for a defamation suit. In most cases, facts alleged in a lawsuit are privileged and are immune from a defamation action.

In short, while the Justin Bieber paternity suit may have been dropped, the case isn't exactly over. Mariah Yeater's own texts may mean she'll soon be paying Bieber and his attorneys - instead of the other way around.

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