Minnelli seeks divorce after husband-beating claim

Actress Liza Minnelli, accused in a €9.3m writ of battering estranged husband David Gest, has filed for divorce.

The divorce papers were filed a day after Gest alleged in a lawsuit lodged against Minnelli in the same Manhattan courthouse that she beat him up during alcohol-fuelled rages.

Gest’s lawyer, Raoul Felder, said, “Obviously these people should be divorced. This marriage is dead, no doubt about it. I had already said that within three or four days she would file [for divorce] or we would file.”

Yesterday, Minnelli released a brief statement through her lawyer, Allen Arrow, in response to Gest's writ, saying: “I hoped very much that the end of my marriage would be handled with mutual respect and dignity. The allegations in this lawsuit are hurtful and without merit. My lawyers will respond to the lawsuit in the proper forum.

“I will continue to focus on my work, my sobriety and my fans who have been so wonderful to me.”

Gest, 50, claims Minnelli, 57, flew into drunken rages on several occasions in several countries and states, insulting him and beating him all over his body.

Gest suffered neurological damage and headaches from the attacks, Felder said. He was being treated for his physical injuries at a clinic in Honolulu, where he took 11 medications a day, Felder said.

Minnelli and Gest separated in July, 16 months after they wed at a celebrity-studded ceremony that featured best man Michael Jackson carrying the bride’s train and Elizabeth Taylor serving as maid of honour.

The two were introduced to each other by Jackson when Gest, a producer and promoter, produced Jackson’s 30th anniversary tribute concert for television.

Minnelli, the daughter of Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli, has won an Academy Award, an Emmy, two Golden Globes and three Tony Awards. She also has battled substance abuse, weight gain and a near-fatal bout with encephalitis.