Rod Stewart, 76, and Sean Stewart, 41, both pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery during a hearing at the Palm Beach County courthouse on Dec. 17, the Palm Beach Post reported. The singer and his son, who were involved in an altercation with a security guard at a Palm Beach hotel in 2019, didn’t appear at the court in person, but their attorney, Guy Fronstin, did and entered the plea on their behalf, the outlet also reported.
The new plea comes after Rod and Sean were scheduled to go to trial next month after a previous plea agreement in Oct. fell through. Judge August Bonavita withheld adjudication, according to the Palm Beach Post. Rod’s attorney explained the music icon’s decision to take the plea agreement in a statement to HollywoodLife. “Sir Rod Stewart was charged with simple battery. No one was injured in the incident and a jury did not find Sir Rod Stewart guilty of the accusation. Instead, Sir Rod Stewart decided to enter a plea to avoid the inconvenience and unnecessary burden on the court and the public that a high profile proceeding would cause. In resolving the case, Sir Rod Stewart was not convicted, nor sentenced to jail, or placed on probation,” Guy said in a statement.
Rod and Sean first made headlines in the assault case when they were charged with battery after the confrontation with the security guard. It took place at The Breakers on Dec. 31, 2019, and the father and son reportedly became angry and involved in an argument when their family wasn’t allowed access to a New Year’s Eve event in the designated children’s area. At the time, witnesses told Palm Beach Police that Sean pushed the security guard who wouldn’t let them in and Rod followed that up by punching the security guard in the rib cage.
Rod and Sean’s presence in Palm Beach wasn’t too surprising since Rod spends some of his time there and even quarantined in the area during the COVID pandemic in 2020. In addition to Sean, whom Rod shares with ex Alana Stewart, he has seven other children, including Sarah Streeter, whom he shares with ex Susannah Boffey, Kimberly Stewart, whom like Sean, he shares with Alana, Ruby Stewart, whom he shares with Kelly Emberg, Renee and Liam Stewart, with Rachel Hunter, and Alastair and Aiden Stewart with his current wife Penny Lancaster.
Despite the recent assault case, Rod proved he’s still making the most of his days with his kids when he posed for a pic with Liam and Alastair when they attended the Celtic Football Club’s match against the Heart of Midlothian F.C. on Dec. 2. Liam shared the snapshot, which showed them decked out in fashionable outfits, including a suit for Rod, along with videos and other pics from the fun time.