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CNN Live Today
Celebrity Court Docket
Aired December 17, 2002 - 11:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Outgoing Congressman Gary Condit is suing writer and TV host Dominick Dunne for slander. The suit claims that Dunne made false and defamatory statements, accusing Condit of involvement in the Chandra kidnapping and murder. Condit has denied any involvement in Levy's disappearance, and police never named him as a suspect. So far, no comment from Dunne.
The Gary Condit lawsuit is at the top of our celebrity court docket this morning. Joining us from Los Angeles with that story and much more, Harvey Levin, executive producer of "Celebrity Justice."
Harvey, good morning. Good to have you with us.
When I heard the story about Dominick Dunne and Gary Condit, two words came to mind -- public figure. That's what Gary Condit is. This is going to be a tough one to win, I would think.
HARVEY LEVIN, EXEC. PRODUCER, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Such a tough one to win. Daryn, you're so right. What this mean is he has to prove that Dominick Dunne set out to maliciously defame him when he wrote his articles in "Vanity Fair," and these were articles that were based on a tip that Dunne received that Condit was somehow at parties involving an Arab diplomatic group, and the person who gave him the tip said that Chandra Levy may have been literally dumped out of a plane over the Atlantic Ocean. And my recollection is Dunne never said Condit did it. In fact, I think at one point, he said he didn't.
But this is a tough road to hoe, and in addition, Condit does not come into this particularly clean either. The Connie Chung interview was a disaster for him, and I don't think he has a lot of credibility.
KAGAN: And you've got to wonder Gary Condit is still more concerned about his name and image than trying to figure out who did indeed do this Chandra Levy, who's the true victim in this crime.
LEVIN: But you know what's so interesting about this, in the lawsuit, the -- Condit talks about the fact that Dunne had mention this had at dinner parties with some pretty powerful people present, and it's almost like these are the movers and shakers where Condit would make his next move, and he's been stymied now, and it's so interesting to look at a lawsuit where he's not only worried about the public perception, but what happens at the powerful dinner parties in Los Angeles and New York.
KAGAN: Ooh la la.
Well, here's a party that's not going to happen, Liza Minnelli and David Gest appearing on their reality television show on VH-1. VH-1 pulled the plug, and apparently, Mr. and Mrs. Gest, none too pleased about that.
LEVIN: You know, this is so bizarre, Daryn. If you think about it, the reason VH-1 used them in the first place is because, can I use the term out there?
KAGAN: You just did.
LEVIN: Is that delicate enough? Well, you know, if they're out there enough to be on a reality show, what do they expect when they're doing business with them? The people from VH-1 are saying they were impossible, especially Gest. Well, duh, that's why you wanted them, and it's like you have your cake and want to eat it, too. You can't have it both ways. It's kind of an interesting suit.
KAGAN: All right, and real quickly, Robert Blake, still behind bars, and apparently his defense case not going so well.
LEVIN: No, but you know, there's something really interesting. We went two hours away from Los Angeles last week, and one of the two people Blake supposedly solicited to commit murder has his own criminal problems. He brandished a gun at three police officers, and he's up on criminal charges.
So the prosecution may have trouble with one of the two key witnesses in this case. So as Robert Blake sits, there's some drama being played out that really could impact the trial.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 17, 2002 - 11:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Outgoing Congressman Gary Condit is suing writer and TV host Dominick Dunne for slander. The suit claims that Dunne made false and defamatory statements, accusing Condit of involvement in the Chandra kidnapping and murder. Condit has denied any involvement in Levy's disappearance, and police never named him as a suspect. So far, no comment from Dunne.
The Gary Condit lawsuit is at the top of our celebrity court docket this morning. Joining us from Los Angeles with that story and much more, Harvey Levin, executive producer of "Celebrity Justice."
Harvey, good morning. Good to have you with us.
When I heard the story about Dominick Dunne and Gary Condit, two words came to mind -- public figure. That's what Gary Condit is. This is going to be a tough one to win, I would think.
HARVEY LEVIN, EXEC. PRODUCER, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Such a tough one to win. Daryn, you're so right. What this mean is he has to prove that Dominick Dunne set out to maliciously defame him when he wrote his articles in "Vanity Fair," and these were articles that were based on a tip that Dunne received that Condit was somehow at parties involving an Arab diplomatic group, and the person who gave him the tip said that Chandra Levy may have been literally dumped out of a plane over the Atlantic Ocean. And my recollection is Dunne never said Condit did it. In fact, I think at one point, he said he didn't.
But this is a tough road to hoe, and in addition, Condit does not come into this particularly clean either. The Connie Chung interview was a disaster for him, and I don't think he has a lot of credibility.
KAGAN: And you've got to wonder Gary Condit is still more concerned about his name and image than trying to figure out who did indeed do this Chandra Levy, who's the true victim in this crime.
LEVIN: But you know what's so interesting about this, in the lawsuit, the -- Condit talks about the fact that Dunne had mention this had at dinner parties with some pretty powerful people present, and it's almost like these are the movers and shakers where Condit would make his next move, and he's been stymied now, and it's so interesting to look at a lawsuit where he's not only worried about the public perception, but what happens at the powerful dinner parties in Los Angeles and New York.
KAGAN: Ooh la la.
Well, here's a party that's not going to happen, Liza Minnelli and David Gest appearing on their reality television show on VH-1. VH-1 pulled the plug, and apparently, Mr. and Mrs. Gest, none too pleased about that.
LEVIN: You know, this is so bizarre, Daryn. If you think about it, the reason VH-1 used them in the first place is because, can I use the term out there?
KAGAN: You just did.
LEVIN: Is that delicate enough? Well, you know, if they're out there enough to be on a reality show, what do they expect when they're doing business with them? The people from VH-1 are saying they were impossible, especially Gest. Well, duh, that's why you wanted them, and it's like you have your cake and want to eat it, too. You can't have it both ways. It's kind of an interesting suit.
KAGAN: All right, and real quickly, Robert Blake, still behind bars, and apparently his defense case not going so well.
LEVIN: No, but you know, there's something really interesting. We went two hours away from Los Angeles last week, and one of the two people Blake supposedly solicited to commit murder has his own criminal problems. He brandished a gun at three police officers, and he's up on criminal charges.
So the prosecution may have trouble with one of the two key witnesses in this case. So as Robert Blake sits, there's some drama being played out that really could impact the trial.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
