LOS ANGELES (CN) - Ryan O'Neal claims a "delusional fan of the late iconic actress Farrah Fawcett" defamed him with false accusations that he stole an Andy Warhol portrait of his longtime partner, which induced the University of Texas to sue him to recover the portrait.
O'Neal sued Craig Nevius for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, in Superior Court. O'Neal filed his complaint one week after the University of Texas at Austin sued him, demanding return of the Warhol portrait.
According to O'Neals complaint, Nevius is a "delusional fan of the late iconic actress Farrah Fawcett. Nevius is obsessed with Ms. Fawcett, and he is deeply jealous of her relationship with her longtime romantic partner, the Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated actor Ryan O'Neal.
"Two years after Ms. Fawcett tragically succumbed to cancer, Nevius continues to harass O'Neal by making false, malicious and defamatory accusations and characterizations about O'Neal and his purported theft, possession and concealment of a famous Warhol portrait depicting Ms. Fawcett to the media and the University of Texas.
"Contrary to Nevius' lies, it is indisputable that the Warhol portrait is the property of O'Neal. O'Neal met Warhol in the 1970s in New York and they became good friends. When O'Neal later introduced Warhol to Ms. Fawcett 10 years later in the 1980s, Warhol created two portraits of her; Warhol gave one of the portraits to Ms. Fawcett and the other portrait to O'Neal. The portrait that O'Neal received from Warhol is one of his most prized possessions and a precious memento of his life with Ms. Fawcett. Given the tremendous sentimental value of the portrait, O'Neal has no intention of ever parting with it during his lifetime, and upon his death he intends to bequeath it to his son and Ms. Fawcett's only child, Redmond O'Neal. At all times O'Neal has been candid about his ownership of his portrait, and he has never concealed the fact that it is in his possession.
"Nevius' false, malicious and defamatory accusations that O'Neal stole the Warhol portrait are a desperate attempt to draw attention to himself by fabricating a controversy where none exists. Sadly, Nevius' malicious behavior is nothing new, and it is consistent with his prior despicable conduct. In 2009, Nevius intentionally sold private, personal medical information about Ms. Fawcett's battle with cancer to tabloid journalists, distributed film footage of her battle with cancer and other materials proprietary to Ms. Fawcett and third parties, and embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the company that Ms. Fawcett established for the production of the critically acclaimed documentary about her battle with cancer, 'Farrah's Story.' Now, Nevius is making false, malicious and defamatory accusations to the media and the University of Texas (Ms. Fawcett left her artwork to the university) in an attempt to ruin O'Neal's reputation and strip him of the Warhol portrait while drawing attention to himself. [Parentheses in complaint.]