Playwright David Bar Katz Sues "The National Enquirer" For Fabricating Story About His Relationship With His Friend Philip Seymour Hoffman

Playwright David Bar Katz Sues "The National Enquirer" For Fabricating Story About His Relationship With His Friend Philip Seymour Hoffman

NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The playwright David Bar Katz, a close friend of the actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, filed a $50 million lawsuit today against "The National Enquirer" for a libelous story falsely claiming that Bar Katz had given an "exclusive" interview to the Enquirer in which Bar Katz is alleged to have stated that he and Hoffman were gay lovers, that he had seen Hoffman freebase cocaine on the night before Hoffman's death, and that he had seen Hoffman use heroin on a number of occasions. The lawsuit was filed in the New York County Supreme Court under oath by Bar Katz, a move that will require the Enquirer to come forward with a sworn explanation of its conduct.

The complaint unequivocally states that the Enquirer's article is a lie, noting: "The story is a complete fabrication: There was no interview. 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."

Bar Katz's lawyer, Judd Burstein, stated: "This article is just disgusting. Here you have Phil's family and his friends grieving, and the Enquirer comes along seeking to make a buck through putrid lies. Worse still, it appears that the Enquirer sent out a press release hyping the story so that it could sell more copies of the magazine. I do not know how these people can sleep at night."

SOURCE Judd Burstein, P.C.

Judd Burstein, P.C.

CONTACT: Daniel Roberti, Dan Klores Communications (DKC), 212-685-4300; daniel_roberti@dkcnews.com


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