By REUVEN FENTON
Last updated: 8:21 am
June 26, 2008
Posted: 3:23 am
June 26, 2008
A judge yesterday denied a request that Liza Minnelli give a videotaped deposition in a sex-harassment suit brought by her former driver, saying "it was just a way to embarrass" the singer.
Harvey Mars, the lawyer representing ex-driver M'Hammed Soumayah, said he suggested the video only because Minnelli "has been known to have professional commitments to meet" and might not be available on Aug. 15, when she is scheduled to make a pretrial statement in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Israel Rubin, the entertainer's lawyer, said that if Minnelli testified by videotape, it could suggest she wasn't healthy enough to appear in person.
Soumayah is suing Minnelli for $100 million, claiming she beat and sexually assaulted him.
In their bitter divorce battle in 2006, Minnelli's former husband, David Gest, accused his wife of hiding the fact she had herpes from him. She, in turn, claimed he tried to poison her with drugs.
