Mike Ovitz's Cameo In Pellicano Trial Finally Credited
The LAT is reporting that former Times and THR reporter Anita Busch has named Michael Ovitz, erstwhile Most Powerful Man In Hollywood and current Most Powerful Man Being Upgraded From An Anonymous Name In A Civil Action Today, in her lawsuit alleging that wiretap-happy PI Anthony Pellicano attempted to intimidate her on behalf of those unhappy with her entertainment industry reporting, giving the former superagent a profile-rising bump from the quiet indignity of previously being known only as "Doe 4." Says the Times:
The former reporter, Anita M. Busch, originally filed a civil suit in 2004 that identified Pellicano, several of his associates and numerous unnamed defendants as responsible for an alleged campaign of "threats, intimidation, harassment and invasion of privacy for the purpose of deterring ... and retaliating against [Busch] for investigating and writing articles about the entertainment business."
An amendment to the civil complaint, which was filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, states that one of those unnamed defendants — identified earlier as "Doe 4" — is Ovitz, a co-founder of one of Hollywood's best known talent agencies, Creative Artists Agency. [...]
The suit says only that he was one of dozens of defendants who were involved in "directing, organizing, commanding, employing and/or hiring individuals to engage in the unlawful and tortious conduct." [...]
According to the indictment, Busch had her records illegally accessed on May 16, 2002, less than a month before she found a fish with a rose in its mouth and a note reading "Stop" on the windshield of her car.
It's important to note that "Busch's filing details no alleged actions by Ovitz," giving no advance insight into what, if any, part he may have played in the infamous windshield incident. If Ovitz is somehow conclusively tied to it, we suspect that no one would be surprised to learn that the fish and rose combination was his idea, as it's been previously alleged that impossibly cheesy threats of women who displease him are kind of "his thing."
