Crowe could face punitive damages claim
Actor Russell Crowe is expected to be hit with a punitive damages claim this week after allegedly attacking a New York hotel worker with a telephone.
A blow-by-blow account of the assault accuses the Oscar-winning star of hurling a telephone at the clerk, then throwing a ceramic vase before taking a theatrical bow and assuming a karate stance, according to reports.
Much of the incident is understood to have been captured on security camera and witnessed by two hotel staff.
Crowe had arrived at the plush Mercer Hotel shortly after 4am and became frustrated when he could not get an international dialling tone to ring his wife.
After complaining to the hotel reception several times he demanded to know the clerk’s name and announced: “I’m coming down right now,” sources told the New York Post and Daily News.
The furious actor is then said to have appeared in the lobby, phone in hand, and identified employee Nestor Josh Estrada, 28, before allegedly throwing the phone at him with both hands.
Estrada was knocked to the floor by the blow as Crowe then picked up a vase and threw that too, sources claim.
One source familiar with the videotape told the Post: “It’s all there. After throwing the vase, he takes a bow like he’s just completed a performance on stage and then he takes a karate stance.”
Estrada is said to have suffered a one-inch cut to his face but no permanent damage. He is expected to seek punitive and compensatory damages in Manhattan’s Supreme Court.
The Australian actor could face up to seven years in jail if convicted of assault and possession of a weapon, having failed to settle the case out of court.
His lawyer, Gerald Lefcourt, said: “Russell Crowe has done everything he can to make amends. He went on national television three times to say he was sorry.”
Crowe, 41, told US chat show host David Letterman that his outburst was the result of a “combination of jet lag, loneliness and adrenaline”.
He added: “Not being able to tell your wife that you’re home and safe and you’re okay is frustrating, particularly with the time thing.”
He had just returned from London to promote new movie Cinderella Man when the incident occurred on June 6.
