Randy Quaid's Legal Woes

by Libby Pelham | More from this Blogger

Randy Quaid and his wife Evi have been accused of leaving a San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif. without paying his bill.

I love Quaid's Cousin Eddie character from the National Lampoon Vacation movies. But, I really learned what a great actor he was when I saw Midnight Express. However, lately, Quaid has been known more of his antics off the screen rather than on. He and Evi were arrested on September 24th in Marfa, Texas for skipping out on the $10,000 hotel bill last June.

While that may seem like an innocent enough mistake, the couple missed four voluntary court appearances, so a warrant was issued for their arrest. The couple is charged with burglary, defrauding an innkeeper, and conspiracy. They have since posted $40,000 in bail ($20,000 each). Their arraignment has been set for December 15th.

The couple's attorney, Rod Ponton, said the bill had been paid in full. "They were never on the run from the law. They have a history of 20 years of staying at [the San Ysidro Ranch], and they have a history of always paying. There's a lot of misinformation out there about this. It's much ado about nothing," Ponton said.

Evi, apparently unhappy with Officer James Davis, who took her into custody, taped a sign up that read "Davis takes payment$," insinuating that the officer was corrupt. Davis has since sued Evi for defamation.

Evi's father, from whom she is estranged, has jumped to the couple's defense. George Motolanez told PEOPLE magazine, "These are nice people. Evi is very flamboyant and really into that Hollywood scene. She has a real artistic flair. Randy is a great guy."

Quaid was kicked out of the Actors' Equity Association in February 2008 after many complaints were filed against him. Members of the musical Lone Star Love filed claim that Quaid was physically and verbally abusive to them. Some people think that the couple's odd behavior began at that point, but the couple also suffered a set back in 2000. They had to file for bankruptcy after putting all their money in the ill-fated movie The Debtors. At the time, the couple only had assets worth $3.4 million but found themselves in debt for $3.5 million.

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(The image above, the couple's mug shots, can be found on the Access Hollywood web page.)

Learn more about Libby Pelham

Libby Pelham is a web designer/freelance writer located in Memphis, TN. She has a beautiful little boy, Will, born in July of 2004.

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