Sam Worthington has been served a restraining order.
The ‘Avator’ star, who was arrested for punching photographer Sheng Li in New York City on Sunday (23.02.14), has been blocked from making any contact with the alleged victim.
The 37-year-old actor appeared in court on Wednesday (26.02.14), where he was was charged with two counts of third degree assault, one count of attempted assault and one count of harassment, according to TMZ.com.
If convicted Sam, who is said to have rushed to his girlfriend Lara Bingle’s defence when she was allegedly kicked in the shin by the paparazzo as the couple were leaving Cubbyhole bar in Greenwich Village, faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail.
The photographer was also arrested at the time of the incident, but claimed in court that Lara launched an unprovoked attack on him first and was released on his own recognizance.
During the scuffle, the heartthrob is said to have referred to model Lara as his "wife", shouting at the photographer, "you kicked my wife".
But a source previously said: "He would have been speaking figuratively. They are definitely not married, as far as I know."
The couple were rumoured to have tied the knot during a secret ceremony in Western Australia earlier this year and have been spotted wearing matching rings.
The Australian star is due back in court on May 8th.
Sam Worthington appears in court
