Tudors Star Jonathan Rhys Meyers Sued for Drunken Rampage
If you think Henry VIII was a tyrant, then you might not be surprised to hear that the actor who plays him on Showtime's The Tudors is a bit of a tyrant too. Jonathan Rhys Meyers had to get it from somewhere, right?
However, there is one difference between Meyers and the King he portrays. Henry VIII quite enjoyed the act of beheading, while Meyers simply fancies the combination of airplanes and being drunk.
But, unfortunately for him, royal immunity does not extend to those who merely play kings. He's currently being sued for drunkenly attacking an airline employee.
Kathryn Williams, a United Airlines employee, has filed a lawsuit in New York claiming that Jonathan Rhys Meyers drunkenly verbally and physically assaulted her. The alleged attack was so bad, she apparently can't work.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers is actually lucky he wasn't flying the friendly skies at the time he decided to act out. FAA regulations strictly and criminally penalize persons who attack or refuse to listen to airplane employees.
In fact, Federal Aviation Regulations specifically state that "No person may assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember's duties aboard an aircraft being operated." He may have assaulted her, but there was no aircraft to operate.
Now, don't go condemning Meyers as a horrible person just yet. It appears as though he's really just a scared little boy afraid of flying. He was arrested in 2009 for being drunk at Dublin Airport, reports the Daily Mail, and attacked bar staff at Charles De Gaulle two years later.
Coincidence? I think not.
Related Resources:
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers sued over 'tortuous acts' (Sydney Morning Herald)
- Assault Basics (FindLaw)
- Air Travel Rules FAQ (FindLaw)
- Interference with flight crew members and attendants (FindLaw)
- Plane Story for the Ages: Passenger Galina Rusanova Drinks Soap, Snaps "Like a Dog" (FindLaw Blotter)