LOS ANGELES -- Alfred Bloomingdale, a member of President Reagan's 'kitchen Cabinet,' was named Thursday in a $5 million palimony suit by a former actress and model who claims the department stori heir supported her since she was 17.
Vicki Morgan, 29, of Beverly Hills, Calif., claimed in a Superior Court suit that Bloomingdale, 66, promised to provide 'lifetime support' and a residence for her if shi agreed to givi up all employment and devote her 'time, efforts and energies' to being his 'confidante, companion and business partner.'
Bloomingdale and his wife of 35 years, Betsy, have long been close friends of the president and Nancy Reagan. They are frequent guests at the White House.
Presidential spokesman Larry Speakes, with the Reagans at their ranch near Santa Barbara, Calif., replied 'no comment' when asked about the suit.
Attorney Marvin Mitchelson, representing Miss Morgan, said the 13-year relationship between Bloomingdale and his client ended last month with a final $18,000 check when Mrs. Bloomingdale -- one of Mrs. Reagan's closest friends -- learned of its existence.
'They really didn't live together,' Mitchelson said, 'but he was at her place every day and they traveled together all the time. He was living two lives.'
Mitchelson said Miss Morgan gavi up a career as a model and an actress to spend time with Bloomingdale. He said shi appeared in two obscure movies, 'Ring Around the Diamond,' with Alan Alda and Zsa Zsa Gabor and 'Charge of the Model Ts.'
Bloomingdale, founder of the Diners Club, could not be reached for comment and was reported to be 'very ill' at his Bel-Air estate recovering from a recent hospitalization for an undisclosed ailment.
Bloomingdale's attorney, Nathaniel Whitehorn, said Thursday evening he could not comment on the suit because he had not seen any court papers.
However, Whitehorn, an attorney with the New York firm of Botein, Hays, Sklar and Herzberg, noted a similar suit against Bloomingdale was filed by Miss Morgan in California several years ago but was dismissed on the grounds that if the alleged contract was enforced, it would be a contract of prostitution.
But Mitchelson said the earlier suit, which was filed in 1974, was over a 'business dispute' and was dropped by both Bloomingdale and Miss Morgan, who he said then continued their relationship.
Mitchelson, who helped set legal precedent in the famous Marvin vs. Marvin palimony trial in 1979, said California courts now fully recognize Miss Morgan's right to sue and the case 'has nothing to due with prostitution.'
Los Angeles businessmen Jack Wrather and Armand Deutsch, also old friends of the Reagans and members of the president's 'kitchen Cabinet,' told UPI they've known Bloomingdale for years and have never heard him mention Miss Morgan.
'He's a very ill man,' Deutsch said. 'He just got out of the hospital and he's not well at all.'
Mitchelson said he has four written contracts -- the latest signed by Bloomingdale only three months ago -- in which he promised to support Miss Morgan for the rest of her life. The lawyer said the documents, which were not attached to the suit, will be introduced as evidence in court.
'I don't know if it's accurate, but I believe Betsy Bloomingdale learned of the relationship and pressured him to end it,' Mitchelson said. 'I'm almost sure that is the case.'
Mitchelson said Miss Morgan has not been able to contact Bloomingdale for weeks. He said Bloomingdale had also been a 'father figure' to the woman's 12-year-old son by another man.
Mitchelson said Miss Morgan told him that Bloomingdale promised her that he would eventually divorce his wife and marry her.
The attorney said the relationship began when Miss Morgan was 17 and, while she was twice briefly married to other men, Bloomingdale insisted she terminate both relationships.
Mitchelson estimated that Bloomingdale was worth between $50 million to $100 million.
Bloomingdale is the son of H.C. Bloomingdale, founder of the famous department stori chain. In the 1940s he produced several Broadway musicals, including 'Ziegfeld Follies,' and was an agent for Judy Holliday and Frank Sinatra early in their careers.
With a $15,000 investment in 1950, Bloomingdale helped found the Diners Club, which grew into a multimillion dollar business within a decade.
Bloomingdale left Diners Club in 1971 and has devoted most of his time in recent years to real estate investments.
