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Liza Strikes Back
Liza Minnelli is hitting back at a former assistant who accused her of beating him in drunken rages and forcing him to have sex with her against his will.
The multihyphenate entertainer filed a breach-of-contract suit on Tuesday against M'hammed Soumayah, the man who once served as her companion, chauffeur, assistant and, depending on whom you believe, punching bag and bedmate.
Minnelli is seeking at least $250,000 in damages, plus a court order against Soumayah, whom she fired in June after 10 years of employment.
Meanwhile, Soumayah, a married father of two, filed his own shocking lawsuit against Minnelli last month and amended it on Tuesday.
The case was originally filed under seal, but was made available Wednesday on The Smoking Gun.
In the explosive court documents, Soumayah claims that Minnelli abused him and bullied him into having intercourse with her over the course of his employment--and that he has physical evidence to prove it.
He claims to have tolerated the mistreatment for fear of losing his job, which paid $238,000 a year.
According to the suit, Soumayah was forced by Minnelli and her attorney, Allen Arrow, to enter into an employment contract and confidentiality agreement in August 2003 because he "knew too much." Out of concern over losing his job, he signed the agreement.
In June 2004, Arrow informed Soumayah that Minnelli would no longer be able to keep him on at his salary and advised him to take a 50 percent pay cut. When he refused, he was replaced, per the court documents.
Three months later, according to his lawsuit, he was summoned to a bizarre meeting at Minnelli's residence, during which she alternately called him the love of her life, spat on him, begged him to sleep with her, slapped him and tried to pay him off not to file suit against her.
Soumayah is seeking $100 million in damages, plus an additional $89,000 that he claims he is owed for services rendered.
It's not the only high profile legal battle on Minnelli's court docket. Former husband David Gest filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Cabaret singer in October 2003, accusing her of pummeling him about the head and body while intoxicated.
Soumayah has been subpoenaed to be deposed in Gest's case against Minnelli, according to his lawyer, Harvey Mars.
Gest's court documents (available on The Smoking Gun) relate an incident where Minnelli went out drinking with Soumayah after Gest forbade her to order cocktails to her hotel room via room service, then came home and attacked Gest.
Minnelli denied beating Gest and filed for divorce the day after he filed his suit. She later countersued him, accusing him of bilking her out of more than $2 million dollars.
The former couple's various legal actions are still pending.
Minnelli and Gest married in March 2002, after they were introduced by mutual pal Michael Jackson.
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