Update!

Did Dennis Hopper's Wife Try to Kill Him?

In new court docs, terminally ill actor's assistant claims estranged missus wanted to expedite his demise

By Josh Grossberg Apr 01, 2010 6:05 PMTags
Dennis Hopper, Victoria DuffyEric Charbonneau/VF/Getty Images

UPDATE: On April 5, a judge ordered Hopper to pay his estranged wife $12,000 a month in child and spousal support and ruled that Victoria be allowed to live on Hopper's property with their 7-year-old daughter pending the outcome of their increasingly muddy divorce proceedings.

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It's getting uglier by the day.

In a shocking allegation, an assistant to the ailing Dennis Hopper is claiming the cancer-stricken star's estranged wife, Victoria, plotted to kill him.

Per court documents obtained by E! News, employee Emily Davis says that when the 73-year-old Hopper checked into a hospital in December for treatment for his prostate cancer, she and the rest of the family were "at the mercy of [Victoria's] cruelty."

In her declaration, the staffer also claims Victoria "was trying to kill him," though she skimps on the details.

"[Victoria] is a threat to all in the home and has already looted millions of [dollars in] property that is not hers," Davis continues.

The filing is part of an increasingly nasty court battle initiated after the Easy Rider star filed for divorce in January citing her "inhuman" treatment of him and taking out a restraining order against her.

Piling on, Hopper's daughter from his first marriage, Marin Hopper, says in court documents that Victoria's behavior is "frightening" and accuses her stepmom of telling "slanderous lies" to the press.

Hopper's attorney tells E! News that the declaration "speaks for itself."

The 41-year-old Victoria Hopper (née Duffy) and the actor wed in 1996. She is currently seeking sole custody of the couple's 6-year-old daughter, Galen, as well as a large sum of the iconoclastic celeb's estate.

She adamantly dismisses the accusations against her, labeling Davis' statements "outrageous" and not bearing "any relationship to reality."

"To date, I have been falsely accused of numerous offenses, all of which have been proven to be factually incorrect," Victoria said in a statement released to The Huffington Post. "I fear the latest round of sensational allegations, notably a tragically bizarre one made by Dennis' assistant, will not be the last one.

She continues: "It's textbook behavior when someone leaves an abusive relationship for the abuser to attempt to personally destroy the one who left, and I fully expect it to continue. I look forward to my day in court on Monday when these allegations and, importantly, the financial strategy behind them, will begin to be exposed for the world to see."

His lawyer says Hopper's cancer is terminal, but the two-time Oscar nominee was well enough to attend a ceremony last week honoring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

(Originally published April 1, 2010, at 8:28 a.m. PT)

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