SHOWGIRL SHOWDOWN: Leonardo DiCaprio was hit with $45M lawsuit after beating up Elizabeth Berkley's BF
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Elizabeth Berkley recently stepped out of her den in a surprise appearance with her husband Greg Lauren while attending The Ralph Lauren Spring 2023 Fashion Experience event on Thursday evening, October 13. The actress looked stunning in a white plunging outfit with a black jacket and we went down to her career path to repaint her life. After taking the responsibility for the poor performance of 'Showgirls' in 1995, one actor, in particular, was obsessed with Berkley after he saw her in person for the first time and that is Leonardo DiCaprio. When Berkley did not respond to any of his passes, the situation escalated and both parties were involved in a whopping $45 million lawsuit.
The year was 1998 when the only thing bigger than Leonardo DiCaprio in Hollywood was the box office collection of 'Titanic'. Riding the waves, the 47-year-old actor geared up for another release, 'The Man in the Iron Mask'. During the premiere of the film, the 'Wolf in the Wall Street' actor saw Berkley who was with her then-boyfriend Roger Wilson. She indefinitely settled in the eyes of DiCaprio's group. Journalist Nancy Jo Sales explained the incident in her 1998 New York magazine profile of DiCaprio, titled 'Leo, Prince of the City', going over major bits of the incidents that led to the forgotten lawsuit. It's reported that LA publicist Karen Tenzler was tasked with getting Berkley to ditch her boyfriend and go hang out with the 'The Revenant' star and his group. Berkley told Sales, "She (Tenzler) said, 'Jay Ferguson and Leo are going crazy for you, and they want you to come to Elaine’s after this — without Roger.'"
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The 'Saved by the Bell' actress first thought that the group was joking as she was living with her then-boyfriend Wilson, who appeared in two 'Porky's' movies. She soon turned down the invitation and decided to bury the hatchet. However, the fire from the other side only seemed to grow stronger as Berkley was loaded with phone calls from Ferguson and Tenzler who wanted to know her reason for not responding. Berkley then informed Wilson of the incident and he decided to confront the group. Wilson told Sales, "I said, 'Look, Jay, I know you guys are having a great time and the town is your apple, but not this part of town.'" After a short pause, Ferguson replied, "F**k you, you f**kin’ f****t, f**kin’ motherf****r, we’ll call whoever we want and if you don’t f**kin’ like it, why don’t you come down here and tell us to our face?" said Wilson.
Wilson reached Asia de Cuba on March 4, 1998, to confront DiCaprio and his 90s boy gang named the 'Pu**y Posse' which included David Blaine, Tobey Maguire, Jay Ferguson, Josh Miller, Ethan Suplee, and Scott Bloom. As the confrontation got heated, both parties took it outside and DiCaprio was also reportedly overheard saying, "Let's go kick his a**." The situation escalated and someone punched Wilson in the throat, damaging his larynx, and immediately putting an end to his Broadway musical career. Detective George Wich of the 6th Precinct told Sales that Wilson was "definitely assaulted." Even though Sales never mentioned anyone in the profile, the implications were at DiCaprio. The group "went crazy, saying, 'Oh, no, oh, no, this can’t happen!'" Wilson said.
Wilson resurfaced and sued DiCaprio, Ferguson, and actor Kevin Connelly for $45 million, reported Daily Mail. Judge Paula Omansky said the lawsuit could proceed against a fourth man, Todd Healy, who confessed to hitting Wilson out of self-defense when he thought he was reaching for his weapon. Wilson's claim was originally against DiCaprio that he aided, stirred, and encouraged his posse to beat him up. The judge eventually dismissed the action against DiCaprio saying that Healy, the man who allegedly confessed to hitting Wilson, never heard the alleged remarks that might have encouraged the group and therefore could not have been incited by it. Ferguson and another acquaintance, Kevin Connelly, were set and no charges were filed against Healy. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2004.