After a little more than an hour of deliberations this morning, a Los Angeles jury has cleared the Bill and Ted star in a civil trial brought by a vengeful paparazzo who claimed he was run over by Reeves.
The decision means Reeves has escaped his legal matrix without having to break open the bank for the plaintiff.
Alison Silva had been seeking $704,974 in compensatory damages from the Speedster, including medical bills and lost wages, stemming from injuries supposedly sustained in March 2007, when Reeves was pulling out of a parking lot amid a shutterbug swarm.
According to Team Silva, he permanently injured his left wrist after getting knocked down by the the 44-year-old actor's Porsche.
Silva's credibility was undermined during cross-examination by Reeves' attorney, who played a video showing the plaintiff scaling a razor-wire fence to shoot video of Britney Spears and then using his left hand to brace himself and keep his balance while climbing down—after the alleged incident with Reeves.
Reeves, who actually tended to Silva after the incident, denied dinging the photog during testimony last week, asserting that camera wielder was walking backwards and tripped over his own feet.
After the jury read its verdict, the A-lister smiled and patted his attorney, Alfred Gerisch, on the back.
"We obviously felt from day one that Mr. Reeves was not negligent," Gerisch told reporters outside the courtroom after the six-man, six-woman panel rendered its decision. "It's unfortunate that this lawsuit was brought, and it's unfortunate that we had to go this far—a lot of time, a lot of effort and obviously a lot of money."
For his part, Silva accepted the outcome.
"I respect the jury's decision," he said. "They did what they deemed was correct, and I have to live with that.
"I wish Keanu is happy in his life. I have nothing against Keanu," he said.
Asked if he'll continue to snap photos of Reeves, the photog replied, "Why not? It's a business."
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