Ex Says Clive Barker Turned His Life Into a Horror Show

LOS ANGELES (CN) - Clive Barker's ex-boyfriend claims the horror writer infected him with HIV, then booted him out of a sprawling Beverly Hills estate that they shared for 14 years, according to a lawsuit in Superior Court.

Emilian David Armstrong says he met Barker, the mastermind behind the "Hellraiser" and "Candyman" series, in March 1996, and he and his then 8-year-old daughter moved into Barker's home four months later.

The pair married in a ceremony attended by friends and family in October 1996, Armstrong says, though the marriage was not legally recognized by the state of California.

That November, Barker told Armstrong that he was HIV positive, and Armstrong tested positive soon after. The exposure, he says, was a result of Barker's undisclosed, "risky lifestyle."

"It was not until after plaintiff was diagnosed with HIV that defendant told him that defendant had dated his own cousin who had died of AIDS and that defendant had engaged in forms of sadomasochism that involved syringes in his previous relationships," the 41-page complaint, filed Tuesday, states.

Armstrong, a photographer by trade, then cared for the pair's eight dogs and six birds, and oversaw bookkeeping and accounting for their household staff, which included "four gardeners, three housekeepers, a pool maintenance person, dog walkers, and a professional fish tank cleaner."

The couple vacationed in Hawaii, and traveled to Spain, London, New York City, Ireland and the Netherlands. Armstrong says he also charged up to $12,000 in personal expenses per month to a credit card paid by Barker.

"Defendant promised plaintiff that he would take care of plaintiff for the rest of his life and, in accordance with that promise, in 1997 defendant had his accountant draw up a will stating that if anything were to happen to defendant, plaintiff would inherit defendant's estate," the complaint states.

The pair allegedly collaborated on Halloween mazes for Universal Studios; "Hellraiser" action figures; the video games "Undying" and "Jericho;" and MacSkins iPod covers. But, Armstrong "never received any payment for his contributions," he says.

Barker became addicted to prescription painkillers, including Vicodin, Percocet, Demerol, and Oxycodon, in 2003, and mixed the drugs with alcohol, cocaine and crystal meth, the complaint states.

Armstrong flushed cocaine and meth down the toilet as he found it, he says, but Barker threatened to kick him out of the house in response, and called "plaintiff's friends and family members 'stupid cunts' to their faces."

Barker also refused to accompany Armstrong, who suffered from skin cancer, to chemotherapy treatments and said, "This is my world, you're just a visitor here." And, the writer started to invite young men over to party with him, and called Armstrong: "talentless cunt," "useless cunt" and "fat cunt."

On April 21, 2009, the law firm Tropio and Morian served Armstrong with a restraining order "filled with lies and false accusations," and he says he was escorted off the Beverly Hills estate by an armed security guard.

Armstrong's credit cards and joint checking accounts were swiftly cancelled, the agreed-upon financial support dried up, and he was not allowed to return to the home to retrieve his possessions, the complaint states. As a result, he says he has been "forced to incur extensive debt."

Armstrong seeks damages for breach of partnership agreement, emotional distress, and fraud and deceit.

He filed the suit pro se.

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