Molina allegedly punched Hilton from behind outside a Toronto nightclub after the openly gay blogger called Black Eyed Peas’ leader will.i.am a “faggot,” a slur for homosexuals.

Following the hearing, Molina’s lawyer Mark Sandler read the written apology outside court.

“I apologize for what I did on June 22 of 2009, even though you engaged in highly offensive comments … I acknowledge that these kinds of issues should not be resolved through a physical response,’ the apology read.

Hilton told The Associated Press in an e-mail he was happy Molina had accepted responsibility for his actions.

“I look forward to reading his letter of apology,” Hilton said in the e-mail.

Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, claims he got into an argument with band members Fergie and will.i.am inside the nightclub and was punched outside by Molina.

Shortly after the incident, the blogger posted the following message on the Twitter Web site: “I am bleeding. Please, I need to file a police report. No joke.”

Hilton’s lawyer, Brian Greenspan, said they were unhappy with the choice of words in Molina’s apology, but it was ultimately accepted.

Molina has also agreed not to contact Hilton except through his lawyer, not to carry any weapons for 12 months and not to come within 100 meters (100 yards) of the night club where the dispute took place.

He was also required to donate $500 Canadian (US$476) to charity.

“I think everything that needed to be said has pretty much been said,” Molina said as he left the courthouse. “Yes, I do regret the whole night.”

The celebrity blogger, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, sued the Peas’ road manager in Los Angeles for battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He is seeking unspecified damages of more than $25,000.

The suit states Hilton is seeking to protect his rights to free speech and claims Polo Molina attacked him because he made critical comments about the Black Eyed Peas’ new album. Molina was arrested in Toronto early Monday after he allegedly punched Hilton following a heated argument between the blogger and Black Eyed Peas leader will.i.am.

An e-mail sent to the group’s publicist was not immediately returned Wednesday. Molina is due to appear in court Aug. 5.

“Perez Hilton was assaulted by the band’s road manager because he would not agree to stop writing about the Black Eyed Peas on his Web site Perezhilton.com,” Bryan Freedman, Hilton’s lawyer, said in a statement. “Whether you love Perez or hate him, he is entitled to his freedom of speech without fear of physical violence. This lawsuit will make the statement that violence is never the answer.”

The lawsuit details the events leading up to Molina’s alleged attack on the blogger.

The complaint states Black Eyed Peas vocalist Fergie approached Hilton on Saturday and asked why he was writing “mean” things about her and the group. Hilton replied that he was “simply being honest and truthful about his opinions of them,” according to the lawsuit.

On Sunday, Hilton claims he was pushed by an unidentified member of the Black Eyed Peas’ entourage, who “slammed his shoulder into Hilton’s shoulder and thereafter pushed him.”

The lawsuit claims Fergie again approached him at an afterparty for the MuchMusic Video Awards on Sunday night and that his argument with will.i.am happened at another party. The lawsuit claims the blogger was trying to leave that party when Molina punched him at least three times.

“Lavandeira sustained injury to his eye and was bleeding as a result of this violent and malicious attack,” the lawsuit claims.

His damage claims include medical costs and damages due to “humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional and physical distress.” The lawsuit also claims that Molina is on probation in California for a drunken driving conviction under his real name, Liborio Molina.

Hilton, who is openly gay, said Monday that he called will.i.am a “faggot,” a gay slur, inside the club after the musician told the blogger not to write about his band on his Web site.

He posted about the attack on the popular microblogging site Twitter on Monday, and has since rejected a call by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to apologize for using the term.

The Black Eyed Peas’ newest album, “The E.N.D,” has proved popular, ranking No. 1 on last week’s Billboard magazine’s charts for R&B/Hip-Hop albums. Singles from the album have also proved popular in other rankings.

Let’s give Perez Hilton a standing ovation. With Carrie Prejean now on the conservative chicken dinner circuit, Hilton needed another enemy to keep his name in the press. So he quickly dumped his status as spokesperson for gay marriage and now will be the poster boy for anti-gay violence.

Hilton got into an altercation with Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas in Toronto. Hilton, who made a video describing the whole evening, decided to throw an anti-gay epithet at the singer and got smacked by the band’s manager. Last time I checked Polo Molina, the guy accused of the assault, turned himself in to the Toronto police.

Because this is a Hilton story, it is a mess of drama. Hilton says he was with Lady Gaga when all of this happened, but as of now she has not said anything about the early morning fracas. After he was allegedly hit, Hilton made sure his pleas for police assistance were on his Twitter page, like any good media whore professional would. Finally, Hilton’s video describing what happened is the funniest thing I’ve seen since Dave Chappelle walked away from his show. The hysterics. The tears. The emotion. The bromides against violence. Someone give the man an award for this performance art.

If Molina is guilty of hitting the Hilton, the band’s manager needs to be punished. We all can agree on that. Yet, Hilton’s choice to throw out the f word indicates all I need to know. Oh, yeah he’ll go on and on and on about gay rights and such but has no problem with using a gay slur if it means money in his purse.