Arsenio Hall Sues Sinead O’Connor for $5 Million

SANTA MONICA (CN) — Calling her a "desperate attention seeker," Arsenio Hall sued Sinead O'Connor on Thursday, claiming she defamed him in a Facebook post, accusing him of supplying "hard drugs" to Prince, and of drugging her.

Since Prince Rogers Nelson died on April 21, numerous news reports have attributed it to opiod drug addiction.

O'Connor's Monday Facebook post has been deleted, but according to CNN and other wire outlets, she wrote: "Two words for the DEA investigating where prince got his drugs over the decades ... Arsenio Hall. Anyone imagining prince was not a long time hard drug user is living in cloud cuckoo land.

"Arsenio I've reported you to the Carver County Sheriff's office. Expect their call. They are aware you spiked me years ago at Eddie Murphy's house. You best get tidying your man cave."

In his Superior Court complaint, Hall says: "The malicious statements made by O'Connor are absolutely false, and O'Connor's heinous accusations that Hall engaged in this criminal conduct are despicable, fabricated lies."

Hall is represented by well-known entertainment attorney Marty Singer, with Lavely & Singer.

Hall's lawsuit spares no vitriol in lambasting O'Connor for "the vicious lies she spewed about Hall on her Facebook page."

For instance: "O'Connor has repeatedly admitted that she actually detested Prince during his life, that she had a feud with Prince, and that she once had a violent fistfight with Prince and spat on him repeatedly after she told Prince 'to go f**k himself.' Significantly, O'Connor has also publicly acknowledged that she actually met Prince only 'a couple of times' after he wrote the song that made her famous, so she would have no basis to have personal knowledge of anyone who may have allegedly provided Prince with illegal 'hard drugs' 'over the decades' and certainly no factual basis whatsoever to believe that Hall had done so. In fact, he had not."

Hall adds that he "has had only minimal contact with O'Connor, and last had contact with her approximately 25 years ago. The truth is that Hall never supplied illegal drugs to Prince, and he never 'spiked' O'Connor with drugs."

He demands $5 million for defamation, and punitive damages.

Hall, 60, a comedian and actor, was the first African American to host a syndicated, late-night talk show on U.S. network TV.

O'Connor, 50, an Irish singer-songwriter, scored her first big hit in 1990 with Prince's song, "Nothing Compares 2 U."

Her comment about cloud cuckoo land refers to a comedy by the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit