Comedian unfunny to alleged victims
Two Kentucky men who say they were sexually assaulted by comedian Andy Dick at a West Virginia nightclub two years ago have filed a lawsuit against the comedian.
The 26-year-old from Ashland and the 35-year-old from Catlettsburg are also involved in a pending criminal case against Dick, their attorney said Tuesday. Dick’s trial on two counts of felony first-degree sexual abuse is set for May 1 in Cabell County Circuit Court in Huntington, W.Va.
Dick pleaded not guilty last summer to charges he grabbed a bouncer’s crotch and groped and kissed a patron while performing a series of shows in Huntington at a comedy club in 2010.
Attorney Mike Woelfel said he filed the case earlier this month, seeking unspecified damages, to comply with the statute of limitations, which expired Monday. The complaint says the men were victims of “battery and sexual abuse” and demands compensatory and punitive damages for emotional distress, outrageous conduct, assault and invasion of privacy.
Dick’s attorney, Marc Williams, dismissed the accusations.
“This proves what we’ve known all along,” he told the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington. “This was only about getting money from a celebrity.”
Dick had a long-running stint in the 1990s on NBC’s “NewsRadio.” He briefly had his own program, “The Andy Dick Show,” on MTV. He also has had roles in several movies, including “Dude, Where’s My Car?” and “Old School.”
Haggard says he’s on the mend
Country music legend Merle Haggard, 74, said he’s nearly over the case of double pneumonia that has kept him in a Georgia hospital for most of the last week.
Doctors found he had several other ailments as well. Spokeswoman Tresa Redburn said they diagnosed him with three stomach ulcers, eight polyps in his colon and diverticulitis of the esophagus.
“Thanks to all the wonderful people all over the world that prayed their special prayers. I’m a new man,” Haggard said in a statement.
Haggard checked into a hospital on Jan. 17 and checked himself out Friday. He tried to make the ride home to Redding, Calif., on his tour bus, but quickly realized he needed to return to the hospital, Redburn said.
The birthday bunch
Actor Gregg Palmer is 85. Actor Dean Jones is 81. Country singer Claude Gray is 80. Actress Leigh Taylor-Young is 67. Actress Jenifer Lewis is 55. Actress Dinah Manoff is 54. Country musician Mike Burch (River Road) is 46. Actress Ana Ortiz is 41. Actress Mia Kirshner is 37. Singer Alicia Keys is 31.