Gest wants blood in Minnelli suit

NEW YORK, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- David Gest accused Liza Minnelli in court Wednesday of committing a "class B misdemeanor" by allegedly hiding her medical condition from him.

Gest's attorney, Raoul Felder, didn't offer details regarding the alleged ailment, but demanded in Manhattan Supreme Court the 57-year-old entertainer take a blood test.

Minnelli's lawyer, Frederic Siegel, objected to the request, declaring, "I don't see how this benefits anybody to be doing this in open court."

Judge John Stackhouse seemed to agree and ordered the lawyers into his chambers, where he later said he "admonished Mr. Felder not to refer to Ms. Minnelli as having committed any crime," and said he would be $5,000 if he brought the matter up again.

Minnelli and the theater producer are suing each other for wrongs each allegedly committed during their brief, but tumultuous marriage.

In a $10 million lawsuit Gest accuses Minnelli of beating and seriously injuring him, while Minnelli contends in a $3 million countersuit that Gest was a thief and impossible to deal with.

Gest was not in the courtroom yesterday, but Minnelli who was, but left before the discussion turned to blood tests and misdemeanors, told the New York Daily News, "I'm feeling very well, thank you."