Zayn Malik, former member of One Direction, has finally accepted the charges imposed by a court after being accused of beating and insulting his mother-in-law, Yolanda, mother of supermodel Gigi Hadid. 

 

Malik has been charged with four counts of harassment and, according to TMZ, responded with a "nolo contendere," a legal order accepting the consequences without pleading guilty. 

 

With his decision not to answer the charges and accept them, he must pay a fine and be on probation for 90 days for each of the charges, which adds up to a total of 360 days. In addition, the singer must complete anger management and domestic violence courses, and will not be allowed to contact Yolanda Hadid or the security guard who was at the house and whom he also confronted. If all conditions are met during the first six months, the judge can terminate the order if he deems it appropriate.

The violent argument occurred on Sept. 29 at the family's home outside Philadelphia, where Malik allegedly "grabbed (Yolanda) and pushed her against a dresser, causing her mental anguish and physical pain," documents obtained by TMZ say.

 

According to People magazine, the singer "didn't slap Yolanda", he placed her in "an aggressive grip". "Yolanda can't take it", a source close to the family told People. 

Malik's case is not the only one that has been experienced in Hollywood. One of the most notorious is that of Chris Brown and Rihanna in 2009, when the artists were in a car accident due to an attack by Brown, who was cheating on Rihanna with his manager. 

 

When Rihanna discovered text messages showing his infidelity, Brown hit her head on a car window and bit her on the arm.

 

The case went to court. Brown pleaded guilty and was sentenced to community service, along with domestic violence counseling and five years of probation, during which he was forbidden to go near Rihanna.

 

Another case that also caused a stir in the public was a complaint made by Amber Heard against actor Johnny Depp for assaulting her with a cell phone. 

 

The model presented as evidence a photograph in which she appears with marks on her face that, allegedly, were caused by the cell phone that the actor threw at her.

 

The image was enough for a judge to order the actor to stay away from his wife, who also filed for divorce. 

 

At a later trial, evidence was presented that showed the aggressor was Heard and Depp the victim.

Acts of violence are not only seen in celebrity couples, but it is more common than one would think in the country. 

 

Domestic violence can be defined as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over their partner. According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, women experience about 4.8 million intimate partner-related physical assaults and rapes each year. 

 

On average, nearly 20 people per minute are victims of intimate partner physical violence in the United States, and one in three women have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to Project Sanctuary.