Suit against Dion’s husband pushed

Kim Smith

Wednesday, April 10, 2002 | 9:22 a.m.

Attorneys for a California woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by Celine Dion's husband in Las Vegas two years ago want her lawsuit to go forward as planned.

Two weeks ago attorneys for Rene Angelil, the singer's husband and manager, filed a motion asking District Judge Allan Earl to force the woman to enter into binding arbitration with Angelil rather than move forward with a lawsuit she filed against him last month.

The woman alleges Angelil met her at Caesars Palace, followed her to the Imperial Palace, fondled her in an elevator, followed her into her room, locked the door and sexually assaulted her in March 2000.

The incident was not reported to police, but the woman and her husband reached an agreement with Angelil in June 2000.

Angelil's attorney, Kirby Smith, contends the agreement contains a clause that states the parties must settle any further disputes through the American Arbitration Association.

The woman's attorneys are arguing, however, that the agreement was with Angelil's company, Coliseum Corp., not Angelil.

In court documents released Tuesday, the attorneys, Joseph Hong and Michael Olsen, also contend their client "lacked the requisite mental capacity" to enter into such an agreement.

The pair said that after the alleged attack, the woman was "terrified and petrified to a degree of a surreal state" and her husband repeatedly found her curled up in their closet in a fetal position.

Hong and Olsen further allege the woman and her husband were threatened and said they had the threats on audiotape.

Hong and Olsen say the woman and her husband were "repeatedly told that their lives were in danger and that they and their son may be killed if they did not execute the agreement."

It is unclear who was allegedly threatening the couple.

The couple tried repeatedly to cancel the agreement between June 2000 and September 2001, but their attorneys at the time refused to discuss the case, telling them it was over, court documents show.

"During this time, plaintiffs, suffering from severe paranoia and fear that their lives were in danger, began to stay at different residences and used other people's names for utilities," Hong and Olsen claim.

Hong and Olsen were hired by the couple last month after the other attorneys were fired. Court documents indicate an affidavit stating why the other attorneys were let go has been given to Earl to read in private.