The decision comes after the singer's heated exchange with a photographer.
Nick Lachey has been ordered to attend anger management classes and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Multiple outlets report the 49-year-old singer's court-ordered classes come after a heated exchange with photographer Jody Santos in March 2022. ET has reached out to both Lachey and the Beverly Hills Police Department for comment.
In a statement to ET, the Los Angeles District attorney explained, "Mr. Lachey has not been charged with misdemeanor assault and battery. Instead he is participating in LADA’s Prefiling Diversion program which was established in 2017. As part of these conditions he must participate in anger management classes and attend Alcoholic Anonymous meetings. Successful completion of the Prefiling Diversion Program will result in no criminal charges being filed."
The incident in question happened one year ago, when photographers snapped pics of Lachey out to dinner with his wife, Vanessa Lachey, and a friend. In an interview with Daily Mail, who was first to report the news, Santos explained what led to the heated altercation.
"He flipped me off and then I heard Vanessa say, 'Go get 'em, open the door' and then he started walking towards my car all aggressive," Santos said. "I immediately locked my door and rolled up my window as fast as I could. He then started punching the window. I thought he was going to break his hand, that's how hard he was hitting the glass. I am surprised he didn't shatter the window."
Santos noted that she's "relieved" that she rolled up her window, because, if she hadn't, she believes there's "no doubt" that Lachey "would have knocked me out." Santos claimed that Lachey called her a "p**sy mother f**ker, shoved his arm through my car window, and tried to grab my cell phone," adding that she "could smell alcohol on his breath for sure."
"What he did was wrong," she said. "Attempting to bust his fist through my car window when all I was doing was taking photographs of him. He should have been thanking me for the free publicity. I mean, really. Talk about an oversized ego."
Lachey had a different version of events, which he took to Twitter to address shortly after the incident.
"Last night, after enjoying a great dinner with my wife and our dear friend, the paparazzi harassed us as we walked back to our hotel. I clearly overreacted. I've been in this game long enough to know that their antics are sadly part of the deal. Stupid of me. Done," he wrote. "However, for TMZ or anyone else to say that I was violent or that I 'got physical' with someone is reckless and absolutely false. Once again, TMZ likes to create their own clickbait narrative. Life's too short, we move on."
As a result of the incident, Daily Mail reports that Lachey has been ordered to complete 52 sessions of anger management classes and attend AA meetings. He most do so "within a reasonable time," Santos said, adding that "if he fails to do so, they will move forward to prosecute him with non-compliance and he will get arrested."
"Until this day, Nick hasn't taken any responsibility. He's justified it. He thought this was done, but it's not done," Santos said. "A personal apology was declined, then a written apology was declined. No one from his team has reached out and asked, 'Are you OK?'"
Now, Santos wants "Nick to know that it's not OK to come after a photographer, let alone a female one and use foul, sexist language."
"He needs to take accountability for his actions. It's one thing to be violent towards a woman and call her foul names, and it's another when you blame the other person and lie about what really happened," she said. "He twisted the truth and put the blame on me."
"Nick won't be too happy when he gets snapped going to anger management classes," Santos added. "This all could have been avoided if Nick had just taken responsibility for his behavior. He is not above the law and as a father and a public figure, the least he can do is be a decent human being."
RELATED CONTENT:
