The cruise ship steward who’s claiming John Travolta exposed himself during a neck massage and then embraced him is suing the ‘Savages’ actor for assault, TMZ is reporting. The steward, Fabian Zanzi, was working on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in 2009 when Travolta was a passenger. Zanzi said Travolta asked him for the massage and exposed himself when he delivered food to his stateroom.
Zanzi, who is suing Travolta for unspecified damages, added that when he tried to resist, the actor offered him $12,000 to remain quiet. Zanzi also said he went to the management on the ship, but they refused to allow him to write out the details regarding nudity or sexual contact.
Travolta’s lawyer, Marty Singer, has released a statement in response to the lawsuit. He said “This is another ludicrous lawsuit with inane claims. It is obvious Mr. Zanzi and his lawyers are looking for their 15 minutes of fame.”
Singer added that the lawsuit’s claims “are completely contradicted by what Mr. Zanzi told his employer back in 2009 when he was being disciplined for his own violations of company policy.” Singer added that Zanzi’s claims of inappropriate conduct he alleged in his lawsuit are “absent from his written report he submitted at the time.”
Singer also pointed to the fact that “after waiting three years, and after getting paid to tell his story to the media, Mr. Zanzi has filed this absurd lawsuit.” The lawyer added that he’s confident that his client “will prevail on the merits and that he will be completely vindicated in court.”
Written by: Karen Benardello
