at 21:48 on December 24, 2009, EDT.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES - A couple who said they were assaulted by Gene Simmons sued the KISS bassist for unspecified damages Thursday, court records show.

Nathan Marlowe and his wife Cynthia Manzo said Simmons attacked them, threatened them and took their video camera at the upscale The Grove mall on Saturday after they started filming the rocker.

The couple's attorney, Matthew Nezhad, says a police report was filed. The couple sought a restraining order against Simmons on Wednesday, but that petition was denied.

Simmons has not been arrested and no charges have been filed.

According to the complaint and restraining order application, Marlowe asked Simmons for his view on monogamy, and Simmons responded by telling Marlowe to get his shot and leave. The filings state Simmons then lunged and attacked Marlowe, taking the video camera, then turned on Manzo when she tried to get the camera back.

A phone message seeking comment from Simmons' entertainment attorney was not immediately returned.

The couple are seeking damages of more than $25,000 for civil claims of assault, battery and infliction of emotional distress. The lawsuit was filed as a verified complaint, meaning Marlowe and Manzo signed it under penalty of perjury.


©The Canadian Press, 2009

Looks like someone needs money to pay off their Xmas shopping credit card bill

this won't amount to anything.

did he stick his tongue at at them?

This actually sounds just like Gene. There was video of him going to a radio station or a studio. There were about 6 fans outside waiting for an autograph. Gene went into this rant, and refused autographs, claiming that this one fan (but really was accusing all of them) of getting autographs for the purpose of reselling the merchandise on eBay and thereby profiting on Gene's signature. The guy just wanted an autograph. Gene went into some ridiculous money-hungry tirade about it, showing just how stupid he can be about stuff.

I was glad when the fans pushed back, and told him (basically) that he was full of shit, and ungrateful for treating people that way. I forget if he relented and signed his the autographs or not. It was just so random and asshole of him to treat anyone that way.

Gene might have been a star 20 or 30 years ago, but today? Eh, he's a cartoon of himself, the same way Ozzy started to look silly on his reality show too.

Fuck Gene and his assumed celebrity status. The only KISS merchandise I'd ever buy is toilet paper. because he can truly kiss my ass.

ernestsewell said:

ernestsewell said:

I thought he was very charming!

if i had his bank account and a 10-inch tongue, i'm sure women would find me charming too!

whistle said:

tinaz said:

Totally unfair. You had a vagina.

ernestsewell said:

im sorry, I gotta work with what i got!
[Edited 12/25/09 13:28pm]

They must have gotten really emotionally distressed.

I'm having a good laugh at everyone's posted comments

novabrkr said:

I am emotionally distressed over their emotional distress!
*calls lawyer*

BklynBabe said:

i'm emotionally distressed over being emotionally distressed
that you guys are all emotionally distressed.

luv4u said:

i'm still daydreaming about what i could get up to with a 10-inch tongue...

I never got on the KISS bandwagon in the 70's & 80's...i prefered bands that could actually PLAY MUSIC.

sonic said:

Oh they could play, they were just playing mediocre songs in lieu of looking like clowns and "characters".

they sought a restraining order against him...

roodboi said:

That was a bit excessive, but Gene can be a dickhead to people (as I stated before), so I sort of see the "emotional distress". I hope they take him for whatever they can. It won't be much, but it will be enough to keep him angry for a while, and that's good enough for me.

ernestsewell said:

yeah, well if being a dickhead is all it takes to cause emotional distress, then the majority of us are in danger of losing a few dollars to sniveling, sensitive bitches...

shit like this is ridiculous...

roodboi said:

Oh I agree it's ridiculous. But so is Gene's actions. It's not that Gene is an asshole in general. It's when he gets in someone's face and is flat out arrogant and rude to them for no reason (remember, these people just wanted a picture and/or an autograph, they weren't breaking into his home or got on his property), that he deserves any misery he gets.

ernestsewell said:

nobody wants to deal with rude or arrogant people...but most people don't feel the need to sue every rude or arrogant person they encounter...

according to their complaint, Gene told them to get their shot and leave...that's a more than fair request, I think...my guess would be they pushed the issue...and he reacted

from my point of view, these folks deserve what they'll get...which will likely be a bill for court costs after this bullshit is sorted and thrown out...

being a celebrity has advantages and disadvantages. Being asked for autographs all the time is one of them. I've seen celebs in restaurants, and never bothered them, cause they're eating...
I'm sure there is another side to this story which will come out. Gene is VERY smart when it comes to money, and I'm sure he hates to part with it. To that end, I'm sure he wouldn't put himself into a litigous situation

slimhustle said:

oh shut up