Malibu Paparazzi Trial Date Delayed until August

BY ANNE SOBLE

Two Malibu men charged in what started out as a high-profile paparazzi battery case because of the peripheral involvement of media magnet Matthew McConaughey, which may return it again to the public spotlight, were in court on May 1 and learned that a trial date of Aug. 7 has been set on the charges.
Jury selection for the trial in the battery case brought by the district attorney against longtime residents Skylar Martin Peak, 24, and Philip John Hildebrand, 30, was slated to begin this week but is now expected to be vacated.
The men are each charged with one misdemeanor count of battery for their roles in the June 2008 ruckus at Little Dume Beach that led to a local call by some city officials for controls on the paparazzi.
That effort ran into major civil liberties roadblocks and was ultimately dropped.