Steven Seagal is Hard to Prosecute

If only the landlady of the luxury villa in the exclusive Berlin district of Wannsee had known what she could expect from the Hollywood movie star who rented her property in 2001, she probably would have told Steven Seagal to look elsewhere for a winter retreat.

Three years ago, the star of numerous not quite straight-to-video cinema classics such as "Hard to Kill," "Marked for Death" and "Exit Wounds" contacted the villa's owner, identified only as Edeltraud V., about renting the property. Offering €30,000 in rent for an eight-month stay, she accepted and Seagal and crew moved in for the winter.

Fast forward to 2004 and Edeltraud is still, to use the title of one of Seagal's own films, "Out for Justice" and still paying the price for the martial arts star's stay at her home. The landlady has once again appeared before a court in Berlin this week to demand damages of €170,000 from Seagal for what has been called the wanton destruction of the property.

Doors, floors and walls trashed

It is alleged that Seagal and his crew went on a riot throughout the villa and "disassembled" doors, wooden flooring and wallpaper. It is also claimed that the "Under Siege" star and friends ignored the lavatory and urinated every where but.

The first attempt to get Seagal to cough up for the renovation failed. The presiding judge ruled that a rent of €30,000 should be sufficient to cover any wear and tear to the property in an eight week period. It was also pointed out that while the property was of a higher standard than, say, a motel, it was far from a museum when the action star and his entourage arrived. Therefore, Seagal could not be expected to pay the entire amount for renovation on his own.

Court favors some payment from Seagal if proved

Edeltraud's second hearing went a little better. This time the rejection did not come but the court did demand concrete proof that Seagal and his posse were indeed those responsible for the mayhem and ensuing damage. With this proof, the court said, Seagal would stand to pay a considerable amount even if it is not the whole €170,000 demanded. The judge has suggested a payment similar to the €30,000 paid for the eight-month rental period back in 2001.

Seagal's lawyers have rejected this out of hand, with the possible outcome being that Edeltraud will have to add to her increasing legal bills to get the case into court for a third time. On top of that, she faces a lawsuit herself. Seagal is suing her for defamation of character, claiming the allegations have damaged his reputation as a person, an actor and a businessman.

Expensive counter-claim aimed at landlady

Seagal's claim is already in the U.S. legal system and should be heard in the next few weeks. The actor's lawyers somberly announced recently that the amount of damages their client could expect if the case goes his way, could be more than Edeltraud's villa is actually worth.

Edeltraud is considering her own counter counter claim. The whole sorry business, she says, has in fact had damaging consequences on her own reputation and business. The villa was due to house superstar Tom Cruise while he films "Mission: Impossible 3" in Berlin but now, possibly due to the continuing furor over the Seagal case, Cruise has pulled out. The thought of staying in a house with alleged Seagal pee all over the walls clearly doesn't appeal.