Reno, Nevada- THE owner of the strip joint in Reno, Nevada, being sued by Catherine Zeta-Jones claims the actress is a big bully who “should pick on someone her own size.”
Spice House owner Kent Wallace was shocked when Zeta-Jones’ lawyers slapped him with a lawsuit over the weekend for using her image on the club’s Web site to promote “Reno’s friendliest topless cabaret.”
“We redid our Web site in early October,” Wallace told PAGE SIX. “Our Webmaster went to a site that offered free graphics and we used a photo of a very attractive brunette [which turned out to be Zeta-Jones].
“We had no idea it was Catherine Zeta-Jones. One wouldn’t think [her image] would appear in a free-graphics Web site. She should have been flattered, as far as I’m concerned.”
When Zeta-Jones’ lawyers contacted him last Friday, alerting him that the photo was Zeta-Jones, Wallace claims he “took the image down immediately and explained to the lawyers why it was there in the first place. I thought that was the end of it.”
But it wasn’t – Wallace was promptly slapped with a legal claim for unspecified damages.
“It’s absurd,” Wallace fumed. “If I wanted, I could get pictures of Catherine Zeta-Jones butt-naked. Catherine, pick on someone your own size – no pun intended. This is a frivolous lawsuit.”
He continued: “Let’s be honest, the most famous cleavage in Catherine Zeta-Jones’ family is on the chin of her father-in-law [Kirk Douglas] . . . The photo was only up for a few weeks and as much as we would love to think that we get tons of [Internet] traffic, we are the Spice House in Reno.
“We were not getting any hits [with or without Zeta-Jones’ photo]. It is what it is. It’s a Web site that belongs to a small topless cabaret in Reno. We’re just sort of in shock.”
In retaliation, Wallace is holding a competition at the club – without naming Zeta-Jones specifically. “For Halloween we are offering $250 to the person who comes dressed as their favorite movie star, and whoever looks most like that movie star will win the money,” he said.
Zeta-Jones is well-known for suing anyone who uses her image or name without her permission.