Christian Slater's Father Ordered To Stop Sending 'Vile, Disgusting' Letters To Judge
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A judge has ordered Christian Slater's father to stop writing her letters accusing her of an affiliation with "Hillary & Hussein B.O." and "colluding Democrat devil worshippers."
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Suzanne Gruguera, who was presiding over Thomas Knight Slater's defamation lawsuit against his actor son and ex-wife, had scheduled the hearing to give him a chance to explain why he should not be fined $10,000 for sending "vile, disgusting and contemptuous communication having no purpose but to threaten the court."
In one letter dated Oct. 5, Thomas Slater told Bruguera, "I'm asking you to transcend your affiliation with Hillary & Hussein B.O. and make certain that this case gets before a jury ASAP."
In another correspondence dated Oct. 25, Thomas Slater told the judge, "That's why I fear your power position to dismiss my case against my son and his high-priced lawyers -- because you're all colluding Democrat devil worshippers."
In yet another letter with the date of Nov. 4, Thomas Slater told Bruguera, "Democrat voters are all brain-washed welfare state moochers, left-wing traitors and totalitarian bigots. I know that you're one of them. Cheers."
"You need to stop sending these communications to the court because they are not appropriate," Gruguera later told the 77-year-old in the presence of a sheriff's deputy. "You're having communications without everyone being involved."
Bruguera also sent the elder Slater's lawsuit to a limited jurisdiction court, where the maximum he could collect on any judgment is $25,000. The lawsuit seeks $30 million.
"I'm not the judge anymore," Bruguera said.
After Thomas Slater began to raise his voice and urge the judge to "read to the court" some of the letters he sent her, she warned him again.
"I have a sheriff's deputy in the courtroom and if you don't watch it, you will not be pleased with the result," Bruguera said.
"Merry Christmas, your honor," Thomas Slater told the judge at the end of the hearing.
Thomas Slater sued his son and ex-wife, Mary Jo Slater on Feb. 24 for slander, libel, defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and invasion of privacy. Bruguera dismissed the part of the case against Christian Slater in July, ruling that the 47-year-old "Mr. Robot" star's comments were protected free speech. Mary Joe Slater is the remaining defendant in the complaint.
According to Thomas Slater's lawsuit, his son defamed him when he told an interviewer in December 2015 that the plaintiff was suffering from manic-depressive schizophrenia. The suit alleges Mary Jo Slater made statements that caused him to be "blacklisted in the show business community."
In her July ruling removing the actor as a defendant, Bruguera said Christian Slater's relationship with his father and their family story in general "involves a real-life tale of Hollywood family drama and tragedy, a matter that is of general interest to the public, regardless of its relative lack of significance as an issue."
The actor's interview "touches upon mental illness and its impact on the family," Bruguera wrote.
Thomas Slater, whose acting credits include appearances in soap operas such as "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" and "Ryan's Hope" and the films "Mommie Dearest" and "Midnight Run," denied he is mentally ill.
During his career, he also has used the names Michael Hawkins and Michael Gainsborough.
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
