LOS ANGELES, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia's King Fahd and his brother, Prince Turki, were sued in a California superior court this week for allegedly conspiring to assist another member of the royal family to dodge an $81 million judgment in a high-profile, 1980s divorce case.
Sheika Dena al Fassi alleged in the suit filed Thursday that the monarch and the prince helped Sheik Mohammed al Fassi hide his assets after they separated in Los Angeles in 1983.
The Los Angeles Times said Friday that the sheik failed to pay a court-ordered settlement that the sheika contends is now worth $261 million due to accrued interest.
The couple was best remembered for their extravagant mansion on Sunset Boulevard that was adorned with four Greek statues that had flesh, hair and genitalia painted on them. The sprawling home, which burned down in 1980, became a virtual tourist attraction for bemused motorists traveling through the staid westside Beverly Hills neighborhood.
The sheika, who now resides in Italy, also contended in her suit that the royal family was responsible for paying the judgment because her ex-husband and other family members received regular subsidies from Saudi oil revenues. Al Fassi, the suit contended, has been able to enjoy a lavish lifestyle in Egypt that is bankrolled by his brother-in-law, Prince Turki, "with the express agreement" of the king.
There was no immediate comment from the Saudi Embassy in Washington, which is closed for Ramadan.
