SineSwiper wrote:Also, why can't Woody sue him back for stalking? After all, that's exactly what they are doing.
What's to be gained? If you use the word "sue" you're talking about civil, not criminal, prosecution, and talking about going after someone's bank account. Most paparazzi don't have enough money in their bank accounts to even recoup your legal fees. They work as independents and sell shots to the papers as individuals, so you can't sue the tabloid papers themselves. And if you want to switch over to criminal prosecution instead and something like a restraining order, then you go through potentially months of court dates to get rid of one person out of thousands. You could spend your life going after them one-by-one with restraining orders with the rough effect of trying to eradicate mosquitoes with a flyswatter.
The paparazzi have a really, really unkind and utterly selfish racket going on, and it would take a changing of the legal code around photography in public places to get anything changed. I think it would be worth it. Most of the celebrity paparazzi have no ethics or scruples whatsoever and attitudes of entitlement and arrogance as bad or worse than the celebrities they harass. I saw a YouTube video where someone was literally hounding Britney Spears as she tried to go into a gas station bathroom, asking her to smile for the camera and whatnot. He just would not leave her alone, but it was so odd because from the guy's tone of voice you'd think he was at a press event. These people frequently have stars in their eyes the size of golf balls and are not in touch with reality themselves except as it relates to the business of getting shots they can sell to the tabloids or TMZ.