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Kanye West is claiming self-defense in a lawsuit filed by a photographer he allegedly attacked outside of Los Angeles International Airport on July 19.
According to court papers in a civil suit filed by the photographer and obtained by TMZ, the rapper claims that “his safety was in immediate danger” as a result of the photographer’s actions, which the papers characterize as an “assault.” The documents claim that West was justified in his alleged behavior because “[Kanye] responded to this assault by doing only those acts that were reasonably necessary for his self-defense…”
The incident, which was caught on film and photographed, has also led to a separate criminal indictment against the rapper on charges that could land him in jail for a maximum of one year if he’s convicted.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
