Ian Ziering has been accused of battery and assault.
The 61-year-old actor – who is best known for playing Steve Sanders in Beverly Hills 90210 from 1990 to 2000 – is the subject of a civil complaint filed in Los Angeles County, which claims he verbally and physically assaulted a man during an alleged road rage incident in 2023.
Jacob Hernandez has accused Ziering of battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, malicious prosecution, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
According to the complaint, obtained by PEOPLE, Hernandez and a friend were both riding on motorbikes on a busy street in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve in 2023. As they were attempting to switch lanes, they paused in front of Ziering’s already stopped Mercedes-Benz. Hernandez insists they were "not impeding the flow of traffic in any way, specifically not the Mercedes', as no traffic was moving.”
Hernandez alleges Ziering "suddenly exited the car" and started shouting at him before allegedly shoving him, "completely unprompted".
This reportedly led to Hernandez falling into his friend and causing their bikes to fall, leading to injuries for the riders and damage to the bikes.
The complaint goes on to allege a "melee occurred between [Ziering] and multiple individuals who came to the aid of [Hernandez]”.
The filing stated: "[Ziering's] actions were intentional, unnecessary, and posed a foreseeable risk of physical and emotional harm, which [Hernandez] in fact suffered.”
He has also accused Ziering of giving misleading information about the incident in interviews, on social media and to law enforcement, leading to Hernandez’s arrest.
No criminal charges were brought against Hernandez.
The complaint states: "[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. [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]."
He is seeking compensatory damages and punitive damages and has asked for a jury trial.
