Justin Bieber is dropping a $20 million defamation lawsuit which he launched in 2020 after being accused of sexual assault.

The Canadian star had vehemently denied allegations by two social media users who claimed they were assaulted in separate incidents at hotels in Texas and New York in 2014 and 2015.

At the time, Bieber, whose hits include Sorry, Stay and What Do You Mean?, said the claims were “outrageous lies” and “provably fabricated”.

Last week, lawyers for the singer filed a motion for the $20 million (about £15m) lawsuit be dismissed, according to court documents.

The documents did not reveal whether Bieber and the defendants had agreed on a settlement.

“Justin has decided to move on and dismiss the case for defamation filed in 2020,” Evan Spiegel, an attorney for Bieber, said on Tuesday evening, according to Sky News’ US partner NBC News.

What were the allegations?

The first allegation came from a social media user claiming to have been assaulted at a hotel in Austin, Texas, on 9 March 2014.

In response, Bieber posted screenshots from news stories from the day of the alleged attack, which showed him with Selena Gomez, his girlfriend at the time.

The second allegation alleged Bieber attacked a woman at the Langham Hotel in New York in May 2015.

Bieber’s lawsuit had described the allegations as an “elaborate hoax”, motivated by a “desire for fame and attention”.

After being discovered on YouTube by talent manager Scooter Braun when he was just 13, Bieber went on to become one of the world’s best-selling music artists, with estimated sales of 150 million records worldwide.

He has been married to model Hailey Baldwin since 2018.

Sky News has contacted representatives for Bieber for comment.

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