LV nurse sues writer of Sharon Stone bio

Bill Gang

Wednesday, Feb. 17, 1999 | 11:13 a.m.

A Las Vegas nurse has sued the author of an unauthorized biography of actress Sharon Stone, saying that statements in the book alleging that she and Stone had sex in the restroom of a posh Beverly Hills hotel are false.

Seeking unspecified damages, Janice K. Payne in her lawsuit said she met with Stone in the restroom of the Beverly Hills Hotel to discuss a concept for a television movie about Payne's experiences as a nurse on a rescue helicopter.

They went to the restroom because Stone was being overwhelmed by autograph-seekers, the lawsuit says.

Payne, in the lawsuit filed Tuesday, charged that author Frank Sanello exhibited "a reckless disregard for the truth" in portraying the meeting otherwise.

"Naked Instinct: The Unauthorized Biography of Sharon Stone" in its introduction quotes a Las Vegas woman identified as "Mrs. Rothenberg" who said she witnessed much of the encounter on Dec. 4, 1995.

Portraying the episode as date rape, the book quotes the witness as saying, "I think she (Stone) was making a pass at her in the stall. She certainly was making a pass at her outside the stall. It just got more serious."

The lawsuit claims Mrs. Rothenberg is a pseudonym for a Las Vegas woman who dined at Payne's table.

Payne and Stone met while the nurse was working on the medical staff on the set of the movie "Casino" in 1994, and the legal action concedes they struck up a friendship that led to a potential business relationship -- the sale of the movie concept.

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Robert Graham, contends the excerpts from Sanello's book have interfered with Payne's pending deal.

It also says the book's claims that there was consensual sexual conduct in a public place or that Payne was the victim of "lesbian date rape" are untrue.