Celebrity Justice
Lawsuit Claims Ledger Done in By Coke Predators

TMZ has just obtained a copy of the bizarre lawsuit that was filed minutes ago in L.A. County Superior Court, alleging that Heath Ledger was set up by two photographers who allegedly fueled him with cocaine and secretly videotaped it for profit.

The suit was filed by a woman who called herself Jane Doe. At the time of the incident -- the 2006 SAG party at the Chateau Marmont hotel -- she was a freelance reporter for People magazine. Doe, who had booked a room at the Chateau, was dating Darren Banks, a photog. Banks and a photog friend met up with Heath on the outside patio and "shared a smoke." That's when the alleged trickery began.

According to the suit, Banks convinced Doe to allow all of them -- including Heath -- to go to her room. Ledger had no idea Banks and his bud (Eric Munn, also a photog) worked for Splash News, a prominent photo agency, also a defendant.

The suit claims "Munn gave Ledger a package of cocaine. Mr. Ledger also had some of his own. The cocaine was put on the table, and the men began snorting cocaine. Plaintiff did not snort any cocaine at all that night..."

The suit claims Munn left the room, but what Ledger and Doe didn't know was that he was "outside of our hotel room, on the balcony, hidden, shooting video footage of everyone in the room ..."

Allegedly Ledger eventually saw the camera and became irate. The suit claims he was promised the tape would be destroyed, but it was reportedly sold to "Entertainment Tonight" for $200,000. The tape was promoted, but never aired.

Doe is asking for unspecified damages for fraud, intrusion, infliction of emotional distress, and privacy violations.

A rep for Ledger says the tape never shows the actor actually doing coke.

Reader Comments

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16. The bitch should have thought about all of this before she took part in the distortion - screw her... at least now we know that Ledger was duped, and that's just not cool... it is hard enough to stay off dadope without having someone bait you into it... SLIMEBALLS.... NO BETTER THAN PAPPIS... WORSE IN MY BOOK... At least Pappis come at you head on and in your face... these guys were laying for Ledger... they need to be drawn and quartered (AH, the good old days)

Posted at 5:11PM on Apr 11th 2008 by bvak

17. What the hell is happening to TMZ! Lately they've turned themselves into a sleazy, disgusting gossip sarcastic website with poor spelling...We only have ourselves to blame. As long as we keep on commenting and visiting their website TMZ will continue to post.

Leave Heath alone!!!!!

Posted at 5:17PM on Apr 11th 2008 by prettygirl

18. What the hell??! This story is too convoluted.

Posted at 5:57PM on Apr 11th 2008 by Maria

19. THOSE PHOTOGRAPHERS SHUD BE PUNISHED SEVERELY... BUT NOW HE IS RESTING IN PEACE... PLEASE LEAVE HIM ALONE... EVERYDAY, THERE IS A TALK ABOUT HIM.,.. LET HIS WIFE AND KID GRIEVE ...... PLEASE STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS MAN... MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE... WE ARE ALL GOING TO MISS HIM...

PHOTOGRAPHERS... WATCH YOURSELVES NOW...... JANE DOE HAS PUT THE WORD OUT.,.. HOW COME SHE IS COMING OUT WITH THE STORY NOW..????????? IT IS BEYOND MY COMPRESION WHY PEOPLE WAIT FOR SO LONG TO PUT THE WORD OUT.... JANE DOE... U SHUD HAVE SAID SOMETHIGN THE DAY HE DIED...

Posted at 6:21PM on Apr 11th 2008 by Shirliana

20. THOSE PHOTOGRAPHERS SHUD BE PUNISHED SEVERELY... BUT NOW HE IS RESTING IN PEACE... PLEASE LEAVE HIM ALONE... EVERYDAY, THERE IS A TALK ABOUT HIM.,.. LET HIS WIFE AND KID GRIEVE ...... PLEASE STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS MAN... MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE... WE ARE ALL GOING TO MISS HIM...

PHOTOGRAPHERS... WATCH YOURSELVES NOW...... JANE DOE HAS PUT THE WORD OUT.,.. HOW COME SHE IS COMING OUT WITH THE STORY NOW..????????? IT IS BEYOND MY COMPRESION WHY PEOPLE WAIT FOR SO LONG TO PUT THE WORD OUT.... JANE DOE... U SHUD HAVE SAID SOMETHIGN THE DAY HE DIED...

Posted at 6:15PM on Apr 11th 2008 by Shirliana

21. Heath wishes he was this talked about while he was alive....

Posted at 6:34PM on Apr 11th 2008 by Brian

22. Actually Heath doesn't wish he was this talked about when he was alive. Ha hated the spotlight, he just wanted to act and be left alone, he hated gossip and premiers and stuff like that.

Posted at 7:24PM on Apr 11th 2008 by BJ

23. What does that say for ET folks? They wasn't happy making a worse mess of Anna Nicole, they wanted to go after Heath too. I would bet the paparazzi was furnishing the same thing to Brit.

Posted at 7:41PM on Apr 11th 2008 by I will not be brainwashed

24. They are only more interesting after they die!

Posted at 10:21PM on Apr 11th 2008 by Hideous

25. If the story was true she wouldn't ask for damages. She would gone to police straight.

Posted at 8:32PM on Apr 11th 2008 by me

26. 23. What does that say for ET folks? They wasn't happy making a worse mess of Anna Nicole, they wanted to go after Heath too. I would bet the paparazzi was furnishing the same thing to Brit.

Posted at 7:41PM on Apr 11th 2008 by I will not be brainwashed

you're right, you will not be brainwashed because you clearly have no brain.

Posted at 9:12PM on Apr 11th 2008 by the REAL me

27. If anyone's rights were violated, it is that of Heath Ledger. What betrayal. If I were the family, I would sue all of the people involved including Jane Doe. All money from this malicious, scheme should go to Michelle Williams and her daughter.

Posted at 9:22PM on Apr 11th 2008 by Tik

28. You just KNOW that Jane Doe is desperate to have her name "revealed" so she can have her 15 minutes of fame. Classless, cheap and utterly ridiculous. I hope in the end it destroys who she is. She deserves it. Wretch!

Posted at 9:38PM on Apr 11th 2008 by JMO

29. Munn is a maggot sucking slimeball just like the others involved in this. It's truly too bad they can't be charged with contributing to the death of Heath Ledger. It's vultures like these so-called "people" who drive the stars crazy. People, US, etc., etc. are ALL blood sucking maggots. The stars should start stalking the editors, photographers, etc. of these rags and let them know how it feels.

Posted at 9:47PM on Apr 11th 2008 by ranee

30. Sadly, this is just another one in the series of incidents with photogs. We need a law against this, people!! How many celebrity exploitations and deaths will it take? It's disgusting.. Refusing to buy magazines with illicit pictures and looking at such websites (including TMZ) would be a good start...

Posted at 10:10PM on Apr 11th 2008 by AnnaQ

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