Arsenio Hall sues Sinead O’Connor over claim he got drugs for Prince

Arsenio Hall is suing Sinead O’Connor for $5 million, alleging she libeled him in a Facebook post Monday that linked him to Prince’s death and accused him of criminal conduct.

“She targeted Hall with wild and false accusations that he had been Prince’s drug supplier for decades and had somehow been responsible for Prince’s death,” reads the lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

O’Connor’s accusations went global after she posted them, and consequently the public was “wrongly led to believe that Hall engaged in criminal conduct as Prince’s decades-long drug supplier and that he supposedly was somehow responsible for Prince’s death,” the suit says. “This is extraordinarily damaging to Hall’s reputation.”

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The comedian hasn’t had contact with O’Connor for about 25 years, the suit says.

In her post, the “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer said, “Arsenio I’ve reported you to the Carver County Sherrif’s office. Expect their call.”

On Tuesday, Hall’s rep had labeled the Irish singer’s accusations “absolutely false, ridiculous and absurd.”

Attempts to contact a representative for O’Connor on Thursday were unsuccessful.

The lawsuit accuses the singer of “recklessly spreading malicious, vile lies” to get attention. “O’Connor is well known for her media antics and for seeking attention through inflammatory Facebook posts and other attention-grabbing media tactics.”

Despite making her mark with a song written by Prince, O’Connor was no fan of the artist. In 2013, she said he’d gotten violent with her at their first meeting, which came after the record was out. In 2014, she elaborated on that accusation, detailing a wild foot and car chase, complete with punching and spitting, that she said occurred after he “summoned her” to his house and she rejected his criticism of her foul language during interviews.

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Then on Wednesday, O’Connor posted a rambling story on Facebook expanding on her initial accusation that Hall had “spiked” her joint with something other than marijuana at a 1991 party.

Though that post is not mentioned, the lawsuit asserts that the singer “falsely accused Hall of engaging in criminal conduct by ‘spiking’ her with drugs years ago.”

Hall is seeking “not less than” $5 million in general and specific damages.

Follow Christie D’Zurilla on Twitter @theCDZ.

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