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Tudor’s star Jonathan Rhys Meyers sued by airline staff for drunken verbal abuse

Irish actor sued by airline worker

By
MOLLY MULDOON,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Friday, March 18, 2011, 7:18 AM
Updated Friday, March 18, 2011, 7:18 AM

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Jonathan Rhys Meyers


Read more: Irish movie star Jonathan Rhys Meyers is acting out

“The Tudors” star Jonathan Rhys Meyers is been sued in an airline worker who is claiming that the Cork born actor assaulted, battered and verbally abused  her after he was barred from boarding an early morning flight.

Rhys Meyers behaved so “outrageously and shockingly” that it exceeded all “reasonable bounds of decency”, according to the formal complaint, which occurred in New York’s JFK airport last May.

Kathryn Williams, who is a United Airlines customer service director, has filed the papers against the Irish actor in the the Supreme Court in Queen's, New York.

She is claiming to have suffered permanent physical damage and severe emotional distress since the incident occurred last May.

The complaint states that the Irish actor’s actions left the airline worker unable to attend to her usual work duties.

The lawsuit alleges: “That on May 7, 2010, at approximately 6.00am...the defendant committed tortuous acts consisting of verbally and physically abusing plaintiff causing her to sustain physical injuries and severe emotional distress.”

It continues: “Defendant Jonathan Rhys Meyers willfully, maliciously, wantonly and without any just cause or provocation assaulted and battered plaintiff Kathryn Williams.”

As a result Rhys Meyers has been barred from flying with United Airlines.

In 2007 the actor was arrested in Dublin airport for being drunk and in vreach of the peace, however no charges were brought against him.

Read more: Irish movie star Jonathan Rhys Meyers is acting out

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10 Comments

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briel26787 | Mar 20, 2011, 05:22 PM EDT
This lawsuit has now been quickly withdrawn; which speaks directly to the lack of merit of it to begin with. Should an incident involving physical violence occur, New Yorks's finest would have immediately been summoned to assist airport security and the troublemaker would have be forcibly relocated to the nearest jail and charged accordingly. The fact that they were not summoned, nor the employee in question taken immediately for medical treatment is a strong indicator that nothing even close to what the complaint alleged ever happened. Does Jonathan have a recurring problem with alcohol - yes. Does he need to finally confront his personal demons - yes. But no one has the right to accuse him unjustly of physical harm unless it really did happen. The almost immedicate withdrawl of the lawsuit speaks volumes that it did not in this particular case.

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ciarrai | Mar 19, 2011, 08:10 AM EDT
Sounds like the lad may have a problem with the drink.

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viper78 | Mar 18, 2011, 08:25 PM EDT
This case sounds suspicious to me. The police weren't called and no one was arrested. Instead, someone made reports to an online gossip site within a week of the event accusing JRM of making racial slurs. There was no mention of any physical contact. The airline has a privacy policy preventing them - and their employees - from talking about the event. I've noticed that gossip site has not printed this story as yet. I wonder why? Could JRM's attorney's statement that the employee went forward with the lawsuit "only after Mr Meyers said no to her demand to be paid an exorbitant amount of money for something that never happened" is true.

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pleznow | Mar 18, 2011, 04:16 PM EDT
This guy has a history of abusing airport personnel. It is evident that he is escalating in his drunken and abusive behavior. I assaulted personnel at an airport in France. Allegedly there was a payoff in that case. I am glad that Ms. Williams is taking action. His not only a drunk but he is dillusional if he thinks he can walk through like abusing people and not paying a price for it. If it was anyone else the feds at the airport would have locked him up and that is the American way. So he got off easy. He keeps lashing out a airport personnel because he knows that they will lose their jobs if the attack him back, that is not only calculating but cowardly. Hopefully he will have to pay a lot of money to this victim and she is a victim if she was subjected to his abusive behavior and we should all remember that. And I hope there is a payoff and I sincerely hope it is HUGE!!! As my mother used to say bought sense is better than taught sense. He has to learn somehow and he could easy but he decided by his own actions to take the hard road.

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Sparklet | Mar 18, 2011, 03:21 PM EDT
Dont like JRM. Always comes across as an arrogant tosser. This is the guy who refused to wear a fat suit for his Henry VIII role. How vain can you get.

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jamieLM | Mar 18, 2011, 01:06 PM EDT
JRM's drunken obnoxious behavior was unacceptable, but I hear a big ka-ching in this. I wonder if Williams would be suing if JRM was Mr. Nobody-No Money. I never read anything at the time of the incident about any physical assault and battering of Ms. Williams. I'm sure's there's a lawyer or 2 licking their chops over this one. It's the American way. I predict JRM will have to drop a bundle of cash on Williams for his "tortuous" acts. An expensive lesson for JRM - don't get drunk & mouth off at an Am. airport.

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viper78 | Mar 18, 2011, 12:48 PM EDT
Rhys Meyer's attorney Michael Miller released a statement: "the lawsuit is a 'blatant attempt to shake down a celebrity and it is not going to succeed. Ms Williams began publicizing her allegations only after Mr Meyers said no to her demand to be paid an exorbitant amount of money for something that never happened. The fact is that Mr Meyers and Ms Williams had no physical contact whatsoever nor was he verbally abusive. It's as simple as that. If we have to go to court to establish the truth, we will do just that - and we have no doubt that we will prevail."

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forflann | Mar 18, 2011, 12:23 PM EDT
Rhys Meyers is a very talented actor, clearly while his actions were unacceptable, had he actually caused physical harm to the young woman,there would have been charges made.This is one reason Americans have a bad reputation for thinking sueing is an acceptably way to earn money,particularly from famous people. I don't happen to be of the opinion that all actors are selfish, spoiled brats. There is a serious problem there, he has yet to acknowledge, certinally more than a fear of flying!

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JerryLynch | Mar 18, 2011, 10:57 AM EDT
Some actors never seem to be able to get out of character. His Royal Lowness Rhys Meyers probably decreed his fellow flying ministers to dispatch the fair Kathryn to the Tower of London to have the axeman assign her a first class window seat at the chopping block. Now we'll see whose head rolls after the barri$ter$ negotiate a dowry for the next Queen in line for the throne.

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seanskelligs | Mar 18, 2011, 10:16 AM EDT
No bloody wonder we get a name for being drunks with this boorish behaviour

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