The owner of a Beverly Hills home has filed a lawsuit after becoming sick and tired of tourists being erroneously told actress Julie Roberts resides in his 9-bedroom Mulholland Drive mansion.
Attorneys for Michael Edson, the owner of the palatial Beverly Hills home, sued Advanced Reservations Systems, Smart Destinations and Las Vegas International Tours Information and Reservations on May 6 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
While the lawsuit alleges the “Pretty Women” star has never lived in Mr. Edson’s 9,000-square-foot estate, his attorneys said false claims made by the defendants have caused problems in the form of graffiti, stalkers, intruders, mail theft and an assault, Courthouse News reported Tuesday.
Despite offering tours of “movie star homes,” the lawsuit alleges the defendants “regularly mislead their customers about the occupants of homes on the tour.”
According to the suit, defendants have “repeatedly” told customers “mega celebrity Julia Roberts” resides at the house owned by Mr. Edson.
“Miss Roberts, however, does not, nor has she ever lived there,” Courthouse News quoted from the complaint.
Tour operators “knew or should have known (by virtue of their trade, business and occupation) that Julia Roberts has repeatedly suffered both personal injury and property damage due to intruders and stalkers at her actual residence which have necessitated her to pay for an deploy expensive and elaborate personal security precautions and measures,” the lawsuit states.
Indeed, the actress reportedly increased security at her actual California residence due to incidents in the past, and Mr. Edson’s lawsuit states that he has had to follow suit as the result of a rash of attempted break-ins and other mishaps.
The home on iconic Mulholland Drive is one of several owned by Mr. Edson and is regularly rented out to studios for upwards of $100,000 per month. The house contains a pizza oven, more than a dozen televisions, multiple fireplaces and four reception rooms, and has previously appeared in episodes of The Apprentice and American Idol.
According to the suit, however, the house has taken a hit as a result of false claims made to tourists. The words “I love you Julia” have been painted twice in 3-foot-tall letters on Mr. Edson’s estate, and “a physical altercation ensued” between Mr. Edson and an intruder during one attempted break-in, the lawsuit alleges. He’s since spent $19,000 in fortifying his home “to prevent further break-ins,” Courthouse News quoted from the complaint. Still, however, tours purportedly of famous Hollywood homes have continued to cause headaches.
“Defendants’ tour buses repeatedly stop in front of the driveway of the Mulholland residence, blocking plaintiffs’ passage into the residence and blocking traffic along Mulholland Drive,” the complaint reads in part. “The tour has also caused various cars and people to drive several hundred feet up the private driveway and stop in front of plaintiffs’ residence at all times of the day and night, often waking and disturbing plaintiff Edson and causing him great anxiety.”
Mr. Edson is seeking punitive damages for negligence, defamation and private and public nuisance, Courthouse News reported.
Advanced Reservations Systems offers IT and e-commerce services to hospitality industry partners, while Smart Destinations provides tourists with package deals for attractions in cities from coast to coast. Las Vegas International Tours Information and Reservations does business in California under the acronym LCAT, and operates several tours throughout Los Angeles, including tours of movie star homes, according to its website.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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