Woman Sues Bieber, Says Concert Harmed Her Hearing

A woman has filed a $9.2 million lawsuit against pop star Justin Bieber, saying she suffered permanent hearing loss at his Portland, Oregon, concert two years ago.

Stacey Wilson Betts filed the suit Wednesday in U.S. District Court. It says the mother of five sustained the injury after Bieber climbed into a heart-shaped gondola and was pulled over the crowd.

The lawsuit alleges Bieber enticed the fans into a “frenzy of screams” by waving his arms, and the sound exceeded safe decibel levels.

The gondola “acted as a sound conductor, creating a sound blast that permanently damaged both my ears,” the lawsuit says.

Betts, who attended the concert with one of her daughters, is seeking money for medical expenses, pain and suffering and loss of quality of life. The lawsuit lists Bieber as a defendant, as well as Island Def Jam Records and Vulcan Sports and Entertainment, which owns the arena in which the July 2010 concert took place.

Betts and the record label did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment. No attorney is listed in the court documents.

The lawsuit says Betts has been seeing ear specialists because of hearing loss; severe tinnitus, or noise or ringing in the ears; and hyperacusis, a sensitivity to sound.