Lawsuit against TV’s Vila gets boot

Associated Press

EUGENE, Ore. — A jury has rejected claims that home-improvement celebrity Bob Vila repeatedly kicked a woman’s seat during a flight more than four years ago.

The woman, Carol Berger, said a possibly drunk Vila kicked the seat while she tried to sleep during a November 1997 flight from Denver to Eugene. She sought as much as $250,000 in damages for injuries to her lower back and mental anguish.

Vila denied the accusation, saying he had no memories of Berger or a disagreement.

The star of "Home Again" took the stand Wednesday in U.S. District Court.

"These accusations are not trivial," he said. "My character is out there. This is something that is absolutely unacceptable to me. Neither I nor my companion have any recollections of an incident taking place."

Asked whether he had tried to recall the flight, Vila said, "You better believe it. This has been going on for four years. You end up losing a lot of sleep over it."

Asked whether he had kicked Berger’s seat, Vila said, "I have never kicked anybody. I have never struck anybody. I have never hit anybody in my life."

The eight-member jury deliberated for more than three hours. Vila then hustled out of the courthouse, chased by reporters.

"The verdict speaks for itself and we are gratified," said the TV handyman’s attorney, James Chaney.

Berger, who teaches autistic children, said she filed the lawsuit after police and United Airlines officials declined to adequately address her complaint. The case went to federal court because the parties live in different places: Berger in Eugene and Vila in Massachusetts.

"It just shows you that if you’re a celebrity, you can get away with these types of things," Berger said.

Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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