Hudson Estate Sues Lover (Press, 15 March 1986)

On 15 March 1986, the estate of the late actor Rock Hudson filed a countersuit against his former partner, Marc Christian, in a Los Angeles Superior Court. Wallace Sheft, the executor of Hudson's estate, accused Christian of blackmailing the late actor for $137,500 (approximately $572,000) by threatening to expose Hudson’s homosexuality. The countersuit requested $2 million (around $3.82 million) in damages and claimed that Christian had also stolen $114,600 (about $60,000) worth of Hudson's personal property. This legal dispute arose after Hudson's death on 2 October 1985 from A.I.D.S. Christian had previously filed a $26.74 million (approximately $14 million) lawsuit against Hudson's estate, alleging that he could have contracted the disease from Hudson. In response to the countersuit, Christian's lawyer, Marvin Mitchelson, firmly denied all allegations made by Sheft, calling them “scurrilous” and “perjurious.” The countersuit stated that when Hudson attempted to end their romantic relationship, Christian allegedly extorted both monetary and other resources from him, including money, food, services, and the use of Hudson's home, under the threat of public exposure. The estate's legal filing included a detailed list of items Christian allegedly took from Hudson, which amounted to thousands of records, numerous films and tapes, extensive audio and video equipment, and a needlepoint rug and pillow created by Hudson himself. In his court papers, Christian refuted the assertion that Hudson had sought to end their relationship and denied ever extorting anything from him.

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