Yesterday in my round-up I noted the existence of a completely made up story from the National Enquirer that David Bar Katz, the friend who found Philip Seymour Hoffman's body, was also his lover.
Now Bar Katz is suing the Enquirer for $50 million, according to the Hollywood Reporter:
Bar Katz claims the publication printed a libelous story falsely claiming he gave them an "exclusive interview" in which he said he and Hoffman were lovers, had seen Hoffman freebase cocaine the night before his death and that he'd seen Hoffman use heroin.
In a complaint filed in the New York Supreme Court, Bar Katz claims the story is a lie. "The story is a complete fabrication: There was no interview," it states. "Bar Katz and Hoffman were never lovers. Bar Katz did not see Hoffman freebasing cocaine the night before he died, or at any other time. Bar Katz never saw Hoffman use heroin or cocaine."
The lawsuit goes on to say that Bar Katz has "no recollection" of ever meeting the three writers on the National Enquirer story and "unquestionably has not spoken to them or anyone else from the Enquirer since Hoffman's death."
Bar Katz is seeking $5 million in actual damages and $45 million in punitive damages.
