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JACKO: The original child abuse allegations.
After being sued for $23 million by Liza Minnelli and
David Gest, VH1 fired back today (2/6) with a
blistering legal counterattack that portrayed
Gest--and not Liza--as an overbearing, unprofessional
diva prone to "erratic and deceitful conduct that went
so far beyond the acceptable bounds of show business
eccentricity" as to help capsize the kooky couple's
reality TV program before a single episode could be
completed. The cable network's detailed assault is
contained in its legal response to the breach of
contract action filed by Minnelli and Gest in
mid-December. Below you'll find the detailed--and
highly entertaining--counterclaim VH1 filed in New
York's State Supreme Court. The network--which is
seeking a minimum of $1.5 million in damages from the
couple--charges that Gest repeatedly denied access to
Minnelli, and often refused to appear on camera when,
"in his opinion, he was not looking his best." Gest
insisted that VH1 pay for an expensive stylist, hire
two personal assistants for him, and fly his
hairstylist in from Los Angeles for the months-long
shoot. Gest even demanded that the hairstylist be
housed in an apartment near his own Upper East Side
coop (VH1 estimated the cost of this tonsorial care at
$60,000). His wardrobe demands were also excessive,
with Gest seeking to spend 30 times as much on his
threads for the series opener as was being expended on
Minnelli's outfits. And Gest's lunacy allegedly
extended to his dealings with VH1 staffers, one of
whom he ordered to stick her head in an oven "to make
sure it was spotlessly clean." On other occasions,
when technicians had to drill into a wall to install
recording equipment, a crew member had to "stand by
the hole with a vacuum cleaner in hand so as to
instantly remove any dust." We can't wait for the
depositions. (11 pages)
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