Celebrity Justice
Leno Lawsuit Triggers Suicide

Jay LenoA man sued along with Jay Leno over a car dealer has killed himself.

Dennis Ricca shot himself in the head, according to the New York Post, days after a Macy's heir filed a lawsuit claiming Ricca, Leno and others "knowingly participated in certain unlawful purported auctions and sales" of two cars owned by the heir. Leno got one of the vehicles -- a 1931 Duesenberg, worth $1.2 mil. Ricca got the Rolls valued at half a mil.

A mourner told The Post, "That did it to him," referring to the lawsuit.

John Straus, the Macy's heir, claims he kept the cars in a garage managed by Ricca's company. Straus was $20,000 behind in storage fees but says he paid the money. Nevertheless, according to the suit, the garage unlawfully auctioned off the car.

Reader Comments

(Page 2 of 3) Previous 15 Comments | 1 | 2 | 3 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

16. Obama will win Mr. P. Too bad for you.

Posted at 11:00AM on Oct 23rd 2008 by kadengirl

17. We ARE talking about the Leno story, right?? Can you political-diarrhea spouting people take your comments to the correct place????

Posted at 11:07AM on Oct 23rd 2008 by Sick of You People!

18. Ooooh don't be so sure there Kadengirl. He's losing ground fast.

Posted at 11:05AM on Oct 23rd 2008 by Big Mr. P

19. The greed that has nearly ruined our democracy contributes to the arrogance of one of the Hollywood "have-mores," Leno, in thinking he can collude with a goomba in ripping of an old school "have-more." We, the unwashed millions who actually pay taxes, are privileged to be able to adore and support these celebrities and corporations.

The truly vulgar wealthy, those who profit from war, pollution, usury through mortgages, credit cards, the insurance con and the Wall St. scam all support John McCain who dumped his deformed wife for the android worth over 100 million, who doesn't know how many houses he owns, who says he will balance our budget in 4 years and knows how to get Bin Laden.
McCain coddles the uber rich and Palin flashes red meat at the "low information voters." and lie as easy as breathe at rallies that, filmed in B&W, would resemble old newsreels from the 1930's.

Conspiracies didn't die with Caesar, don't allow crooked machines to steal your government anymore. Be suspicious of anyone "suicided" who has run afoul of the top 2% who own 50% of the wealth and have, so far, "disappeared" 1/3 of the savings of working/middle class citizens.

Posted at 10:54AM on Oct 24th 2008 by Sane Richard

20. Mr. P: I stand by my comments. I see we're supposed to "forget" about McCains 1st wife. Why? Why doesn't she matter? It is also my understanding that she was paid by the Republican party (I believe around $300K to keep quiet if anyone comes a calling). It is disgraceful what he did to her. She stood by him, and he screwed her over.

I stand by:
McCains strategical mistake was nominating Palin. He saw the outpouring for Hillary, and thought he'd capitlalize on that by getting a woman. ANd a shady woman at that...( Troopergate, daughter travels on taxpayers dime, bookbanning inquirey. etc).

While I don't agree with Obama's past either.. if you all recall, Bush's past was drudged up, as well as Clinton's. This is what the press does. They questioned Bush's military record, his alcohol use, Clinton's marajuana use in college etc.

While I feel McCain does have some good points, his choosing of Palin put the nail in his coffin.

Posted at 11:14AM on Oct 23rd 2008 by Me

21. Here is the deal. The Duesenberg was bought new by a department store owner. The depression hit and he was uncomfortable about being see in such an expensive car, so he parked it in this garage back in the 30's. It was only driven once to a Deusenberg restorer. It was brought back and parked in the garage. It stayed in the family and several years ago Leno bought the car. It was the last original, unrestored Duesenberg still in the original owners family. I think Leno bought it legally. The family found out they could have gotten more for it and sued. If the garage had a lein for unpaid parking fees then they owned the car fair and sqaure.

Posted at 11:17AM on Oct 23rd 2008 by Tom

22. No Tom, If the garage had a lein for unpaid parking fees they DID NOT own the car fair and square.

They could sell the car at market rate to offset parking fees and return the difference, approximately $1,273,000.00 in this case, to the rightful owner.

Posted at 11:22AM on Oct 23rd 2008 by Jay Leno is in deep doodoo

23. If McCain and the Republican swiftboat teams want to dig for dirt with which to try to smear Sen. Obama, then isn't turnabout is fair play? So, I'll suggest that the MSM they should investigate McCain’s questionable ties to Putin's oligarch Oleg Deripaska? Or ask why he [McCain] chose to celebrate his 70 birthday back in 2006 at a party off the coast of Montenegro hosted by convicted Italian felon Raffaello Follieri? Then there’s the gambling? (Has he declared all of his winnings on his taxes?)

With only 15 days to go until the election, this should keep the press so bus that they won't even have time to re-run Keating 5 stories or further investigate the story run several months ago in The Daily Mail about how McCain dumped his first wife. The first wife who'd faithfully waited for him while he was a POW, the one he dumped just because she'd been severely injured in a car crash and was no longer as tall and attractive as she had been? And how he then turned around and married rich Cindy while the ink was still wet on the divorce decree. What a hero?

Posted at 11:26AM on Oct 23rd 2008 by layor1969

24. LOL, wow Tom, you actually posted about the car story!! lol. I think if there was a lein against the car, the doesn't make them "owners", it means that should the car be sold, or taken from the garage by the owners, they have to pay the past debt.

Posted at 11:26AM on Oct 23rd 2008 by My2Cents

25. uh oh jhitty jhitty bang bang we love you!

Posted at 11:34AM on Oct 23rd 2008 by Creepy Bill

26. WAY TO GO, NO 19 AND NO 24. SOME MORE FACTS THAT NEED TO BE SHARED WITH THE VOTERS OF OUR COUNTRY. REALLY SAD AFFAIR THAT IT HAS TO BE DONE ON TMZ WHEN THE MEDIA SHOULD BE DOING THIS!! BUT JUST MAYBE SOME OF US CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE ON ELECTION DAY BY LETTING THE TRUE FACTS BE KNOWN ABOUT MCCAIN.

Posted at 11:34AM on Oct 23rd 2008 by Wispy Willow

27. McCain isn't "Dana Reeves". Now there's a hero.

Dumps his faithful wife for some bimbo. Can you imagine his first wife's life while he was a POW? The daily agony of worrying on whether or not your husband will live or die? To live like this for YEARS?? then get dumped because of something that wasn't her fault?

THanks for the info "layor1969". Looks like McCain has quite the shady past too.

Posted at 11:35AM on Oct 23rd 2008 by My2Cents

28. Are you sure? I thought if they filed a lien then they were owners of the car and could sell it for the fees owed. I am sure Leno bought it for far more than $29,000.00.

Posted at 11:38AM on Oct 23rd 2008 by Tom

29. You McCain lovers are "full of it" - spreading lies, half-truths, BS. Go get a life!

Posted at 11:46AM on Oct 23rd 2008 by stinkbomb

30. I don't think so Tom. Lets say you owe some contractor money for work he did on your house. You don't pay him. He puts a lien on your house. That doesn't make him an owner, it means that when your house sells, he gets paid what you owe plus interest. I beleive it 's the same case with the car.

However: I have seen "self-storage" places having "forclosure sales"... which are sales in which the renter of the space doesn't pay their bill, and they don't come to collect their stuff... so the business owner sells their stuff to cover the past rental fees.

Eh, who the heck knows! (and I think he paid around 180K, but I'm not positive).

Posted at 11:46AM on Oct 23rd 2008 by My2Cents

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