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

(Page 3 of 3) Previous 15 Comments

31. 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 10:20PM on Apr 11th 2008 by AnnaQ

32. 9. "Plaintiff did not snort any cocaine at all that night..."


That's all that matters. So before you jerks come on here ready to bash him read that part, I doubt he had any coke on him.

Posted at 4:28PM on Apr 11th 2008 by BJ

BJ - The Plaintiff is the person bringing the suit, not Heath.

Posted at 12:32AM on Apr 12th 2008 by Del

33. TMZ you guys are losers. You never cease to amaze me. The normal celeb shots are great, but you can't seem to stop putting people down. It shows everyone how insecure you guys are. You are bullies.

Posted at 11:59PM on Apr 11th 2008 by bystander

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

Finally one of his people said that!
It was about time!! Because iti really doesn't show him doing coke.
Say it doesn't and put an end to all that "speculation".
Images have also been manipulated in reports around the world showing the others doing coke and implying Heath was one of those on the pictures doing so.He wasn't.
This lawsuit and the video are a great opportunity to get his name cleared off that crap. I hope his people grab the opportunity so that all those manipulative "reporters" will have to set the record straight when they report on it once again!

Posted at 9:18AM on Apr 12th 2008 by Finally

35. I have seen this preditory vial video in it's entirety and Heath does not use and the skank "Plaintiff" does offer him some, also one of the two paps she is suiing was her boyfriend, they make several attempts to coax him but he does not use he drank a beer and smoked cigarettes, tying to have some normallcy in the twilght zone of hollyweird , and just be the nice friendly guy that he was. This is a Prime example of why people in the industry isolate, and withdrawl outside except outside the small ciclres...No Trust No One would run this piesce of crap video which is abviosly editted as well, so by filing this suit they get publicity anyway it is decpicable, they should all three be charged, punished the 200,000 they got from ET should be put in trust for Matilda and they should be fined and that too should be put in a trust for Matilda. Whatever credencials are required for paps and her job should be pulled permanently

Posted at 4:46AM on Apr 12th 2008 by t m

36. I personally think the role of the Joker is what killed him. He was pulled down into the psychotic self destructive world of the character he played. Jack Nicholson was not as vulnerable an individual.

Posted at 9:58PM on Apr 13th 2008 by Fresnoguy

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