David Livingston/Getty ImagesLuke Wilson is suing a former assistant for allegedly making almost $90,000 in unauthorized purchases using the actor's credit cards, stealing personal property worth about $75,000 and also accuses him of identity theft.
The man, Charles Lodi, who goes by Charley, has not commented. In his lawsuit, filed in a California federal court on Thursday, Wilson claims that Lodi worked as his personal assistant from 2011 and was fired in 2014 after he learned about the alleged stolen funds.
Lodi worked with Wilson as an assistant on several films, including The Skeleton Twins and the upcoming drama Dear Eleanor, in which he also has a small role, as well as on the show Enlightened. The lawsuit states that his duties included making travel arrangements and running other personal errands for the actor, which involved making purchases on his behalf. Wilson says the man was added as an authorized signatory on his personal credit card in order to do so.
"Mr. Wilson trusted Mr. Lodi as his friend, and believed Mr. Lodi had his best interest at heart," the lawsuit states.
According to the documents, Lodi also gained access to Wilson's other cards and online store accounts and used them as "his own personal piggybank." The lawsuit claims Lodi "violated Mr. Wilson's right of privacy by appropriating Mr. Wilson's name, posing as Mr. Wilson and/or signing Mr. Wilson's signature in connection with Defendant's unauthorized purchases on Mr. Wilson's personal credit cards on which [Lodi] was not an authorized signatory and/or on Mr. Wilson's online merchant accounts."
Wilson accuses Lodi of spending about $88,000 on items and services for himself, such as hotel suites, vacation home and car rentals, dinners, skis, computer equipment and even wedding expenses.
Lodi wed British reality star Gill O'Toole in Las Vegas almost exactly two years ago, marriage records show. The two met her less than 24 hours earlier at a party, according to The Daily Mail and The Liverpool Echo newspapers.
"In addition to incurring nearly $90,000 in unauthorized charges on Mr. Wilson's credit cards, over the course of his employment, [Lodi] siphoned thousands of dollars' worth of Mr. Wilson's personal property, including, but not limited to, sporting goods, golf clubs, ski equipment and electronics," the lawsuit says, adding that the value of these items is over $75,000.
"All the while, [Lodi] pretended to be Mr. Wilson's friend, lived rent-free in housing provided by Mr. Wilson and allowed Mr. Wilson to wine and dine him at four-star restaurants on a regular basis," it adds.
Wilson says when Lodi was fired in April 2014, he signed two documents in which he allegedly agreed to the theft and promised to pay $75,000 in three installments over the course of five months. The lawsuit claims Lodi only paid $15,000 that summer and later moved out of state, to Park City, Utah, taking the alleged stolen items and many fraudulent purchases with him. He currently resides there today.
Wilson's suit also states that initially, in a bid to settle the matter out of court and save Lodi from the "humiliation of a public lawsuit and/or criminal investigation," the actor agreed not to sue Lodi if he paid a portion of the missing funds promptly. Police are not involved in the case.
Wilson wants Lodi to pay $60,000 for alleged breach of contract, exemplary or punitive damages, compensatory damages for "invasion of Mr. Wilson's right of privacy in an amount in excess of $75,000" and a return of his missing property. He is also requesting a jury trial.
—Reporting by Claudia Rosenbaum