Justin Guarini is being sued $50,000 (£28,000) as "fair compensation" after injuring a couple in a car crash 18 months ago.

The singer, who finished second in the first installment of American Idol, was on his way to perform at a bar mitzvah in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania when the collision happened. At the time he was sued $100 by local police.

Now Louis Maiatico is suing Guarini, claiming that he suffered whiplash since the accident and missed time at work, with his wife Adrienne adding that her husband's condition has deprived her of "assistance and companionship."

The news comes at a particularly bad time for Guarini, who was dropped by his record label just before Christmas amid fleeting record sales.