“[Ziering’s] actions were intentional, unnecessary, and posed a foreseeable risk of physical and emotional harm, which [Hernandez] in fact suffered,” the complaint claims
According to a civil complaint filed in the County of Los Angeles, reviewed by PEOPLE, the actor best known for his role in Beverly Hills, 90210 was accused of battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, malicious prosecution, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
The plaintiff, Jacob Hernandez, alleged that Ziering verbally and physically assaulted him in an apparent road rage incident that took place Dec. 31, 2023, according to the complaint.
The complaint alleges that Hernandez and a friend of his were both riding on motorbikes through a congested street in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve in 2023. The two riders were attempting to shift lanes when they had to pause in front of an already stopped Mercedes-Benz, containing Ziering, per the filing. The plaintiff, who was 20 at the time, was “not impeding the flow of traffic in any way, specifically not the Mercedes’, as no traffic was moving,” the complaint claims.
Then, Ziering “suddenly exited the car” and began yelling at Hernandez, who did not respond, the filing claims. Ziering then allegedly approached Hernandez and shoved him, “completely unprompted,” causing Hernandez to fall into his friend and their bikes to fall to the ground. Both individuals sustained injuries as a result of the altercation and both bikes were damaged, the complaint alleges.
As the incident unfolded in the street, an alleged “melee occurred between [Ziering] and multiple individuals who came to the aid of [Hernandez],” which Hernandez says was captured on video.
“[Ziering’s] actions were intentional, unnecessary, and posed a foreseeable risk of physical and emotional harm, which [Hernandez] in fact suffered,” the complaint claims.
The filing further alleges that Ziering utilized his celebrity to steer the narrative around the altercation by giving multiple interviews to multiple news sources, and by omitting the truth when recounting the incident on his social media.
As a result of “misleading information provided by [Ziering] to law enforcement,” the complaint alleges, Hernandez was arrested in May 21, 2024, and held on $50,000 bail, which his family was able to post to have him released from custody. The next month, he was informed at his arraignment that the District Attorney’s office had no criminal case against him proceeding.
His arrest and negative public depiction, as a result of Ziering’s misinformation, caused “significant mental health issues,” the document alleges, including extreme anxiety, consistent panic attacks and paranoia.
“[Hernandez] had his name negatively plastered in the media as a result of the public megaphone which the [Ziering] held, lying by omission in multiple interviews, making [Hernandez] out to be the aggressor,” the filing claims. “[Hernandez] does not want to leave his home for fear of public humiliation nor open his social media applications, as [Ziering’s] story was publicized vilifying [Hernandez].”
Hernandez is seeking compensatory damages, as well as punitive damages. He’s also seeking a jury trial.
At the time of the incident, PEOPLE reported that Ziering had been seen on videos surrounded by a group of people riding mini-bikes before a fight broke out while he was out with his 10-year-old daughter Penna.
A release from LAPD stated, “A victim was involved in a physical altercation with four to five members of a minibike gang on the 6800 block of Hollywood Boulevard within the Hollywood Entertainment District.”
“The confrontation began between the victim and one of the minibike riders over possible damage to his vehicle. Three to four additional minibike riders jumped in and assaulted the motorist,” it read.
The release added that one of the minibike riders was “captured swinging an object at the victim nearly striking him.” Ziering’s vehicle was vandalized after the assault “while his 10-year-old child remained in the front seat,” the release continued.
“The victim and his child did not sustain any serious injuries,” the release stated.
On Jan. 1, 2024, Ziering shared a lengthy update on Instagram, claiming he had “experienced an alarming incident involving a group of individuals on mini bikes.”
“While stuck in traffic, my car was approached aggressively by one of these riders leading to an unsettling confrontation. In an attempt to assess any damage I exited my car. This action, unfortunately, escalated into a physical altercation, which I navigated to protect myself,” he added.
The actor said the whole thing left him “deeply concerned about the growing boldness of such groups who disrupt public safety and peace.”
