Story highlights
U.S. comedian Arsenio Hall is suing singer Sinead O'Connor for defamation
O'Connor accused Hall of supplying Prince with hard drugs over "decades" in a Facebook post
Hall is seeking special damages "believed to be not less than" $5 million
U.S. comedian Arsenio Hall is suing singer Sinead O’Connor for defamation.
This is after she posted a note on Facebook accusing Hall of supplying Prince with drugs “over the decades” and of spiking her with drugs.
The suit, filed in Los Angeles on Thursday, is seeking damages of “not less than” $5 million.
“Desperate, attention seeker Sinead O’Connor has maliciously published outlandish defamatory lies about comedian Arsenio Hall, falsely accusing him of supplying illegal ‘hard drugs’ ‘over the decades’ to the recently deceased music artist, Prince, and of spiking her with drugs once years ago,” the lawsuit says.
‘Cloud cuckoo land’
On Monday, O’Connor, who is no stranger to controversy, accused Hall of supplying Prince with drugs.
“Two words for the DEA investigating where prince got his drugs over the decades … Arsenio Hall. Anyone imagining prince was not a long time hard drug user is living in cloud cuckoo land,” O’Connor wrote in a post that has since been deleted.
“Arsenio I’ve reported you to the Carver County Sheriff’s office. Expect their call. They are aware you spiked me years ago at Eddie Murphy’s house. You best get tidying your man cave.”
Hall has denied the “heinous accusations” in the lawsuit, calling O’Connor’s statement “despicable, fabricated lies.”
Prince’s complicated history with painkillers takes center stage
The lawsuit says Hall has also had only “minimal” contact with the singer, and “last had contact with her approximately 25 years ago.”
“Hall will not stand idly by while O’Connor attempts to get attention for herself by recklessly spreading malicious, vile lies that he engaged in egregious criminal conduct which falsely links Hall to Prince’s death,” the lawsuit adds.
O’Connor, who had a huge hit with her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” has not publicly commented on the suit.
Multiple attempts to contact O’Conner’s representatives for comment went unanswered.
Prince investigation
As more details emerge about the possible role opioid drugs may have had in Prince’s as yet unexplained death, state and federal officials are continuing their investigations.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Agency announced Wednesday that they’re joining forces with local investigators led by the Carver County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the music icon’s death and will provide “federal resources and expertise about prescription drug diversion.”
The Carver County Sheriff’s Department said it was aware of O’Connor’s post, but won’t comment on “sources of information or specifics about information obtained during this investigation.”
CNN’s Rachel Wells contributed to this report.
