Shatner Slapped With $170M Paternity Suit

(CN) - A Florida man claiming to be the son of actor William Shatner is suing the TV star in a bid to force a paternity test.

In a lawsuit filed in Hillsborough County Circuit Court, Peter Michael Sloan, 59, alleges his mother gave him up for adoption after becoming pregnant by Shatner. After repeated denials by the actor, Sloan wants the court to order a DNA test.

He is also asking for $170 million in damages.

Shatner is best known for his roles as Captain Kirk in "Star Trek," Sgt. T.J. Hooker in the show of the same name, and lawyer Denny Crane in "Boston Legal." He is a two-time Emmy Award winner and a Golden Globe Award winner.

In his complaint, Sloan claims Shatner acknowledged the familial tie during the mid-80s when Sloan visited the set of "T.J. Hooker." But in a phone conversation after he returned home to New Jersey, Shatner became "agitated and hung up the phone." Sloan asserts an associate of Shatner's called him days later and requested he stop contacting the actor.

In 2009, Sloan began writing a book based on the search for his biological parents and registered the domain name petershatner.com. Two years later, Sloan used the Shatner last name for a Tampa-based radio show and a screenplay.

After newspapers published articles about the two men's connection, Sloan asserts Shatner's attorney sent him a letter denying the paternal link and asking him to refrain from using the "Shatner" name.

"There have been many people over the years who have claimed to be his children or other relatives," the letter stated. "He is an incredibly busy, eighty-year-old man, and is not interested in spending time discussing this issue with you or any such individuals."

After the letter, Sloan claims IMDBpro - a movie database run by Amazon.com - and Twitter shut down his accounts.

Shatner's social media director, Paul Camuso, also posted rebuttals to Sloan's claims on williamshatner.com, according to the complaint.

Sloan names IMDBpro, Amazon.com, Twitter, Camuso and Shatner's attorney and publicist as defendants in the suit, alleging libel, defamation and tortuous interference.

Neither Sloan nor Shatner could be reached for comment on Thursday.

However, pinned to the top of his Twitter page, Shatner tweeted: "My children are my life. I have three kids in total; Leslie, Lisabeth & Melanie. They are my reason to get up & live each day to the fullest."

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