DuPage County Theater Owner In Legal Battle With Jenna Jameson
WHEATON, Ill. (CBS) -- Porn star Jenna Jameson was only supposed to come for a clean, clothed book and photo signing session at two movie theaters in historically conservative DuPage County.
But problems with the invitation still ended up in court – not because of anyone who objected to Jameson, but because Jameson didn't show up.
This week, DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Patrick J. Leston entered an order of default against Jameson, after she signed a contract to appear back in March at the plaintiff Ted E.C. Bulthaup III's Hollywood Palms Cinema in Naperville, and Hollywood Boulevard Cinema in Woodridge, but ended up missing the dates.
In court, Bulthaup said an agent representing Jameson had asked him, "Well, just because she signed a contract, does it mean she has to appear, if she changes her mind?" Based on the judge's order, the answer seemed to be yes.
Bulthaup and his attorneys had sought the order of default that Judge Leston entered against Jameson. Neither Jameson nor any of her representatives were present for Wednesday's hearing.
Leston said he would withhold entering a default judgment "until we show documentation and (financial) damages" incurred by the Jameson no-show, Bulthaup said. The judgment could be entered later this month.
Bulthaup in May filed a lawsuit seeking more than $50,000 in damages from Jameson, whose legal name is Jenna M. Massoli.
She missed the dates at Bulthaup's theaters on March 24-26 to attend celebrity blogger Perez Hilton's birthday party in California, according to the litigation.
Both theaters had scheduled screenings of the 2008 camp film "Zombie Strippers!" in which Jameson starred, the suit read in part. Jameson was to autograph photographs of herself and 200 copies of her book, How To Make Love Like A Porn Star, and interact with her fans and pose for photos with them, according to the suit.
Bulthaup said his company sold hundreds of advance tickets to the screenings; paid Jameson, her agent and personal assistant to travel to the Naperville-Woodridge area; and "invested thousands of dollars in advertising (and) dedicated hundreds of employee hours to making the weekend's events a success," the suit stated. Her appearances would have generated "tens of thousands of dollars in revenue" for the cinemas and Jameson, according to the litigation.
Jameson's agent, shortly before their scheduled arrival in Chicago, sent "a vague doctor's note" to Bulthaup, in which Jameson maintained she had had a "medical emergency" and would be unable to attend the screenings, the suit declared.
Bulthaup subsequently learned "on the very evening (Jameson) was supposed to be at Hollywood's theaters, she attended 'Perez's Blue Ball,'" the party for Hilton, the suit alleged. Hilton's Web site later featured photographs of Jameson attending his party.
Jameson on May 24 was served with a copy of the lawsuit at her home in Huntington Beach, Calif., Bulthaup said.
He added Jameson apparently has not retained a lawyer to represent her.
"Jenna doesn't believe she needs an attorney," Bulthaup said. "Her various 'people' were playing lawyer for her, the last one being her Web designer."
The Naperville Sun contributed to thsi report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.
