Last Friday, Steven Brockovich, her second husband, filed a defamation suit against her in Los Angeles Superior Court. Her first husband, Shawn Brown is currently on trial for trying to blackmail her. And then Sunday, to top it all off, Julia Roberts forgot to thank her during her Oscar acceptance speech.
Compared to all the real trials and tribulations behind the scenes, it probably seemed a minor oversight that, while onstage, Roberts exuberantly listed practically everyone else on the planet as having helped her win the Best Actress Oscar, but forgot to mention the curvaceous, feisty blonde whose legal crusade was the inspiration for her title role in Erin Brockovich.
Roberts made up for it ASAP, telling reporters backstage at the Shrine Auditorium's Oscar ceremony: "During my out of body experience...I didn't acknowledge her shamefully, shamefully. With great humility I acknowledge her profusely."
The ex-hubbies aren't playing so nice.
Husband number two, who gave Erin the name which is now world famous, and is the father of her youngest child, is suing over comments Brockovich made last year to People magazine and supermarket tabloid the Star, Inside.com reports. She was quoted as claiming he failed to pay child support.
His suit, however, alleges he complied with, and satisfied, all court-ordered obligations to make payments for a number of years, therefore he claims her statements caused damage to his "business, trade, profession and occupation in the community in which he resides and makes his living," and has cost him past, present and future earnings.
Currently a resident of Reno, Nevada, the husband, who is not depicted in the movie, is claiming his ex-wife's remarks are "highly offensive to an ordinarily reasonable person," as they imply he was "an irresponsible father and did not love his child." Mr. Brockovich accuses her of "libel, slander, invasion of privacy and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress."
Leaping directly to Brockovich's defense was prominent attorney and Brockovich's sometime boss Ed Masry, portrayed in the hit movie by Albert Finney.
Masry told Inside the suit was "just another attempt by a whole group of ex-husbands, etc. to try to get money from this successful woman." He says that Brockovich has already made it clear "she would not pay one dime to Steven Brockovich.
"The lawsuit will be vigorously opposed," he added. "I can't think of a harder way to earn money than to sue Erin Brockovich."
Brockovich's first husband, Brown, allegedly tried to blackmail her with claims that she had an affair with Masry. The legal duo called his bluff, which led to his current trial.
Brockovich, who has shown up looking almost as luscious as Roberts at various publicity events for the movie, was not at the Oscars Sunday night. She had stayed home to care for her sick child and reportedly joined Masry and his wife to watch the event on TV--away from any spotlight, show-biz or legal.