Ian Ziering sued over 2023 biker brawl, two years later

The Moment

That New Year’s Eve biker brawl Ian Ziering probably hoped we’d all forget? It’s back, with legal paperwork and a whole new storyline.

The former Beverly Hills, 90210 star is being sued in civil court by Jacob Hernandez, a motorbike rider who was involved in Ziering’s headline-making street clash in Los Angeles on Dec. 31, 2023. Hernandez accuses Ziering of battery, assault, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress and malicious prosecution, according to a civil complaint summarized by multiple entertainment outlets.

Hernandez says he and a friend, both on motorbikes, stopped in front of Ziering’s braked Mercedes on a packed LA street. He claims they weren’t blocking traffic, that no cars were moving anyway, and that Ziering allegedly got out of his car and “completely unprompted” shoved him, injuring him and damaging his bike.

From there, Hernandez says a full-on melee broke out, with several people jumping in. He claims both riders were hurt and their bikes were damaged in the chaos.

Hernandez also alleges Ziering later gave “misleading information” to police, which he says led to his arrest in May 2024. His family reportedly posted $50,000 bail. In the complaint, Hernandez says that when he showed up for arraignment in June 2024, he was told there was no criminal case moving forward against him.

Now he’s suing Ziering for compensatory and punitive damages and wants a jury to weigh in. As of the latest coverage, Ziering hasn’t publicly commented on the new lawsuit.

The Take

I don’t know who had “Steve Sanders vs. bikers” on their 2020s bingo card, but here we are: another 90s nostalgia figure stuck in a very modern mess where viral video, celebrity image, and street chaos all collide.

When the footage of that New Year’s Eve clash first hit social media, the story was pretty simple: beloved TV alum and his car vs. a swarm of mini-bike riders. Ziering’s early public comments painted him as the one under attack by an aggressive group on the road.

Now, two years later, the narrative is flipping. Hernandez is positioning himself as the one blindsided – not just in the street, but in the legal system. He’s not only claiming physical injury; he’s saying Ziering’s version of events with police and the press wrecked his reputation, his wallet, and his peace of mind.

This is the new celebrity playbook, for better or worse. The first headline rarely tells the whole story, because the real fight plays out slowly in courts and documents long after the clip stops trending. It’s like rewatching your favorite 90s teen drama and realizing the guy you thought was the charming prankster might actually be the problem adult in the room.

To be clear, this is a civil suit – one side’s allegations, not a verdict. But it does poke at a bigger, uncomfortable truth: our instinct to instantly cast celebrities as heroes or victims the second a shaky camera-phone video drops. Two years later, we’re just now getting a more complicated picture, and it may get messier before it gets clearer.

For Ziering, who has mostly coasted on good-guy nostalgia and cult-movie camp in the last decade, this isn’t just about one bad night in LA. It’s about whether that wholesome, slightly goofy 90s image can survive a slow-drip legal fight where he’s the one in the defendant’s chair.

Receipts

Here’s what’s on paper versus what’s still in the “we’ll see” category.

Confirmed (per the civil complaint and multiple entertainment reports):

• A civil lawsuit has been filed by Jacob Hernandez against Ian Ziering in connection with a Dec. 31, 2023 street incident in Los Angeles.
• The suit lists several claims: battery, assault, negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and malicious prosecution.
• Hernandez says the encounter happened when he and a friend, both on motorbikes, stopped in front of Ziering’s Mercedes on New Year’s Eve 2023.
• Video of the physical confrontation on a busy LA street circulated widely on social media in early 2024.
• Hernandez and another rider, identified in reports as Angie Tereza Guizar, were later arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism and assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the same incident, and Hernandez’s family posted $50,000 bail.
• According to the complaint, Hernandez says he was told at a June 2024 court appearance that there was no active criminal case against him.
• Hernandez is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages and has requested a jury trial.
• As of the latest reporting, Ziering has not issued a public response to the civil suit.

Unverified or Alleged (from Hernandez’s side of the story):

• That Ziering allegedly initiated physical contact by pushing Hernandez “completely unprompted.”
• That Ziering’s actions were “intentional, unnecessary, and posed a foreseeable risk of physical and emotional harm,” as the complaint claims.
• That Ziering allegedly provided “misleading information” to law enforcement, leading directly to Hernandez’s arrest.
• That Hernandez’s name and reputation were “negatively plastered” in interviews and social media because of Ziering’s version of events.

No court has ruled on these civil allegations yet, and none of this amounts to a finding of liability or guilt.

Backstory (For Casual Readers)

If your brain still files Ian Ziering under “Steve from Beverly Hills, 90210,” here’s a quick reset. After his 90s teen-heartthrob run, he picked up a second wave of fame in the so-bad-it’s-fun Sharknado movies and worked steadily in TV and genre projects. On New Year’s Eve 2023, he was caught on camera in a street confrontation with a group of riders on mini-bikes and motorcycles in Los Angeles. He publicly described the group as aggressive and said he feared for his safety. The clip went viral, police said they were looking into it, and then – like most online storms – it faded from mainstream view. Now, the guy on the other side of that scuffle is suing, dragging the whole thing back into the spotlight.

What’s Next

From here, it’s all about the slow grind of civil court. Ziering’s legal team will likely file a formal response to the complaint – denying some or all of the allegations, possibly raising self-defense, or even countersuing, depending on what they argue happened that night. We haven’t seen that response yet, so it’s all eyes on the court docket.

If the case doesn’t quietly settle, expect months (or longer) of motions, discovery, and wrangling over that street video and any additional footage or witnesses. A jury trial, if it actually happens, would put the New Year’s Eve clash under a microscope, frame by frame, with both Ziering and Hernandez forced to tell their versions under oath.

For fans, this may become another reminder that the people we grew up watching on weeknight TV have real-world blowups, bad nights, and legal battles like anyone else – they’re just happening with cameras rolling.

Sources (human-readable): Civil complaint by Jacob Hernandez against Ian Ziering, as described in widely circulated entertainment news coverage, Dec. 30, 2025; prior video footage and reporting on the Dec. 31, 2023 Los Angeles street altercation involving Ziering and motorbike riders, January-June 2024.

Your turn: When a viral video and a celebrity statement don’t fully match, do you tend to believe the famous face, the person suing, or wait until a court weighs in?