Elaine Stritch sued by writer

NEW YORK, June 28 (UPI) -- Actress Elaine Stritch says she rejects accusations in John Lahr's lawsuit that she owes the writer money for helping with her show "Elaine Stritch at Liberty."

Stritch said she owes Lahr her gratitude, but not her money, the New York Post reported Sunday.

"He made it possible for me to do my show, so I'm indebted to him for life," Stritch said. "I have nothing bad to say about him. I don't want to have dinner with him tonight, but I'm very fond of him."

Lahr, an award-winning writer for The New Yorker magazine, is suing Stritch, 84, for unspecified damages, restitution and 20 percent of the gross that Stritch earns for performing the show, the New York Post reported Sunday.

In a lawsuit filed last week in Manhattan Supreme Court, Lahr, the son of film legend Bert Lahr, said he is due a portion of the profits each time Stritch performs "Liberty," which recounts her years on Broadway and her battle with alcohol, the Post reported.

Stritch won a Tony award for "Liberty" and an Emmy for her television performance as Alec Baldwin's mother in "30 Rock."