Actor’s court case becomes shouting match

Press, 22 June 1989, Page 8

Actor’s court case becomes shouting match

NZPA-AP New York The courtroom drama of the actor, William Hurt, became heated when the star angrily accused his former lover’s lawyer of making an insulting reference to the conception of Hurt’s six-year-old son. Hurt glared and stabbed his finger at the laywer, Richard Golub. Mr Golub stepped toward the witness stand and State Supreme Court Justice Jacqueline Silbermann yelled to him to step back.

When the actor then refused 'to answer any more of Mr Golub’s questions, the Judge ordered a 10-minute recess. The heated confrontation arose while Mr Golub

questioned Hurt, aged 39, as a hostile witness about his relationship with a ballerina, Sandra Jennings, aged 32, the mother of the actor’s son, Alexander.

Jennings claims a com-mon-law marriage exists between her and the actor and she is suing for a share of what he earned during most of the three years she lived with him from late 1981 to late 1984. Mr Golub estimates Hurt’s worth at about SUSIO million ($17.5 million).

Mr Golub, exasperated by Hurt’s answers and by frequent objections by the defence laywer, Martin Shelton, complained to

the Judge that Mr Shelton was “interrupting my rhythm, and rhythm is everything.”

As Mr Golub tried to resume questioning after a spate of Mr Shelton’s objections, Hurt — who has been snappish, combative and evasive in a day and a half of testimony — quipped to the lawyer, “Get your rhythm right.”

Mr Golub replied, “You had yours right, pal, when you had Alex, didn’t you?”

Hurt objected and the Judge agreed, telling Mr Golub to stick to the issues.