Gusttavo Lima ordered to pay damages to fan expelled from show

A Brazilian court has ordered singer Gusttavo Lima to pay R$ 5,000 in moral damages to a fan, Virginia Nogueira, following an incident at a New Year's Eve concert in Fortaleza during the 2022-2023 transition.

The dispute began when Nogueira made a political gesture—the ‘L’ sign associated with President Lula—after the singer made comments supporting former President Jair Bolsonaro. During the event, Lima used his microphone to publicly denounce the fan, accusing her of throwing water at him, and requested her removal from the venue.

While the judge acknowledged that Lima had grounds to remove the spectator for security reasons due to the reported water throwing, the court ruled that the manner in which he handled the situation was abusive. The ruling stated that the singer used his prominent stage position to individualize and personally censure the fan in front of the audience. The court noted that the singer's national profile and the subsequent viral nature of the video amplified the embarrassment and led to online attacks against Nogueira.