The verdict is in, and Charles Lodi has to pay Luke Wilson $438,000 in damages, says online reports on MSN Entertainment.
Luke Wilson sued his former personal assistant after the latter was caught red-handed using the actor's credit cards to pay for his own vacations, restaurant sprees, sports equipment, even wedding expenses and to get cash advances. Lodi worked for Wilson for 3 years, and was fired last year.
Last year, both parties came into agreement that Lodi was to pay back $ 75,000 in 3 installments, but he was only good for a single payment of $ 15,000 before he went missing and nowhere to be found.
Luke's suit was for identity theft, stealing of personal property worth $ 75,000 and for unauthorized credit card purchases and advances amounting to $ 90,000. He asked for $135,000 for breach of contract and invasion of property plus the return of his property and other damages.
There has always been love lost between actors and their personal assistants. The actors pay good money, like an annual salary of $75,000, for somebody to run their life, not limited to typing letters or faxing documents. A-list actors and other showbiz personalities trust their assistants to make sure their hotel suites are clean; it carries their preferred bottled water brands, even to such inane demands as having a specific brand and number of candles in the room.
Assistants get sued when property is lost or a top secret is leaked to the press or when assistant writes a tell-all book or goes on tell-all interviews. Rebecca White was a personal assistant to big names Claire Danes, Naomi Campbell and Lady Gaga. She wrote her tell-all book, Pandora's Box, dishing out exclusive and personal accounts of her life as a star's 24/7 best friend.
Actors and superstars, like Courtney Love, also get sued by their assistants for unpaid wages. Some, like Steven Seagal, get sued for sexual harassment. If you keep tally of the actor vs assistant legal battles, it may be safe to assume a tie.
