Former pilot Doug Gotterba sued John Travolta – in response to threats by the actor’s camp to sue him.
The suit comes after Douglas Gotterba previously claimed to have had a gay affair with John Travolta during his six years as the star’s private pilot.
John Travolta’s camp allegedly responded to the claims by threatening to sue Doug Gotterba, claiming he had signed a confidentiality agreement that prevented him from talking to the media about his former employer.
But Douglas Gotterba countered with a legal case of his own, in which he claimed he never signed any such agreement. He argued he was within his rights to talk about John Travolta without fearing a lawsuit.
According to TMZ, in Doug Gotterba’s suit he claims he received a threatening letter from John Travolta’s attorney Marty Singer. But Doug Gotterba argues the termination agreement did not include a confidentiality clause.
In his explosive National Enquirer interview, Doug Gotterba, 62, claimed John Travolta admitted he “preferred men” shortly after his 1991 marriage to Kelly Preston.
Former pilot Doug Gotterba sued John Travolta in response to threats by the actor’s camp to sue him
The former pilot told the tabloid the pair began a sexual relationship in 1981 shortly after he started working for John Travolta.
He claims the last time the pair saw each other was in 1992, a year after John Travolta married Kelly Preston.
Douglas Gotterba recalled: “They’d just gotten back from the Church of Scientology’s Celebrity Center in Hollywood when I arrived and John asked me to go with him for a walk on the beach.
“We were making small talk when suddenly, I blurted out, <<So, John, tell me. Now that you’re married, do you still prefer men – or women?>>.
“He looked me straight in the eye and said, <<Well, Doug, I still prefer men!>> I said, <<okay>>. And that’s the last time we saw each other.”
John Travolta’s sex scandal saga began in May, when the A-lister was hit with two lawsuits from male masseurs claiming the actor made sexual advances towards them during massages – though one claim was later withdrawn.
The actor’s one-time secretary Joan Edwards – who worked for the star from 1978 to 1994 – followed in June with allegations of an affair between John Travolta and Doug Gotterba.
Marty Singer told TMZ: “Mr. Gotterba obviously filed this lawsuit to get his 15 minutes of fame. We plan to get this meritless case promptly dismissed.”
Doug Gotterba, John Travolta’s former pilot who claims he had a six-year affair with the actor is lifting the curtain on their alleged relationship.
So far unsubstantiated claims emerged in June Doug Gotterba had a long-term relationship with the actor in the Eighties – before his marriage to Kelly Preston.
Doug Goterba, 62, in an explosive new interview about their alleged affair, claims John Travolta admitted he “preferred men” shortly after his 1991 nuptials, according to The National Enquirer.
The former pilot, who began working for the Pulp Fiction star in 1981, has told the tabloid the pair began a sexual relationship shortly thereafter.
While John Travolta’s lawyers have strenuously denied a wave of similar allegations made against him by other parties, Doug Gotterba moved forward with the interview, recalling when, he says, the pair’s relationship took a turn.
He told the Enquirer: “We flew into Monterey, California, and went up to the Highlands resort in Carmel. We had a wonderful dinner with a fantastic bottle of merlot, and I got the sense I was being courted.
“As we walked from the restaurant back to the room, John suddenly said, <<Hey, would you like a massage?>>.
“I’d already prepared myself for something like that, so I said, <<Sure, why not?>>. I went back to his room, showered and came out wearing only a towel. John said, <<Okay, like, down here on the bed>>. He gave me a massage – and it turned into something else!
“John was gentle, but very passionate. The next day, he told me with a big smile on his face, <<I really enjoyed last night>>. And I told him, >>So did I!>.”
Doug Gotterba, John Travolta’s former pilot who claims he had a six-year affair with the actor is lifting the curtain on their alleged relationship
According to Doug Gotterba, the pair continued to see each other romantically for the next six years. During that time, he said, John Travolta enjoyed having multiple sexual partners and wanted to make a sex tape.
He claims the last time the pair saw each other was in 1992, a year after the actor married his wife, Kelly Preston.
Doug Gotterba recalled: “They’d just gotten back from the Church of Scientology’s Celebrity Center in Hollywood when I arrived and John asked me to go with him for a walk on the beach.
“We were making small talk when suddenly, I blurted out, <<So, John, tell me. Now that you’re married, do you still prefer men – or women?>>. He looked me straight in the eye and said, <<Well, Doug, I still prefer men!>>. I said, <<okay>>. And that’s the last time we saw each other.”
John Travolta’s sex scandal saga began in May, when the A-lister was hit with two lawsuits from male masseurs claiming the actor made sexual advances towards them during massages – though one claim was later withdrawn.
The actor’s one-time secretary Joan Edwards – who worked for the star from 1978 to 1994 – followed in June with allegations of an affair between John Travolta and Doug Gotterba.
It then emerged last month that author Robert Randolph has claimed in a lawsuit the actor and his attorney, Marty Singer, made false claims about his mental health in a bid to bring the writer’s credibility into question.
Marty Singer’s legal team managed to stop his book You’ll Never Spa in This Town Again – in which Robert Randolph made explosive claims he witnessed John Travolta engaged in sexual intercourse with other men at various bathhouses – from making it onto the shelves.
New claims continued to emerge, with various people coming out of the woodwork making similar allegations. And while John Travolta has not addressed the allegations directly, though his legal team in the past has strenuously denied them and have prepared to take legal action.
Marty Singer this month filed suit against cruise ship worker Fabian Zanzi, who in May made claims the actor sexually assaulted him aboard a 2009 cruise; the lawyer also said recently said the pair intend to sue Robert Randolph’s attorneys for malicious prosecution.
John Travolta, 58, has meanwhile put on a brave face.
He stepped out earlier this month at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 2012 Installation Luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where he cavorted with fellow stars including Bradley Cooper, Dustin Hoffman and Steven Spielberg.
His wife, Kelly Preston, has stood by the actor, supporting him at public events while meanwhile enjoying time abroad with her husband and their 20-month-old Benjamin, in late July and August.
John Travolta and Kelly Preston share two children, Benjamin and Ella Blue, 11. Their eldest child Jett died in 2009 at the age of 17.
Just a week after John Travolta’s former pilot Doug Gotterba claimed they had a six-year affair in the Eighties, Gotterba is now “considering’” writing a tell-all book.
Reports that Doug Gotterba, 60, has two writers lined up to help tell his story appear in today’s edition of The National Enquirer.
Last week, the National Enquirer reported that pilot Doug Gotterba told John Travolta’s former secretary Joan Edwards about the secret affair.
Joan Edwards confirmed that Doug Gotterba began working for John Travolta in 1981.
“He told me that John was gay and they had a sexual relationship,” said Joan Edwards.
Just a week after John Travolta's former pilot Doug Gotterba claimed they had a six-year affair in the Eighties, Gotterba is now “considering'” writing a tell-all book
John Travolta is said to have had a long-term relationship with Doug Gotterba in the Eighties – before the actor’s marriage to Kelly Preston in 1991.
The simmering scandal heated up last month, when John Travolta was hit with two lawsuits from masseurs claiming the actor made sexual advances towards them during massages – but one claim was later withdrawn.
A string of other people came out of the woodwork making similar claims.
John Travolta’s legal team strenuously denied the allegations at the time.
In public, John Travolta, 58, has been putting on a brave face.
The actor took to the stage a week ago to help honor actress Shirley MacLaine as she received the 40th AFI Life Achievement Award.
The actor was perfectly composed and smiled throughout his speech, which he made in front of celebrity guests and work colleagues, including Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Katherine Heigl and Meryl Streep.
A new report has claimed that John Travolta had a six year gay affair with his pilot Doug Gotterba.
John Travolta is said to have had a long-term relationship with Doug Gotterba in the ‘80, before the actor’s marriage to Kelly Preston in 1991.
The claims are made in the new issue of the National Enquirer – by Doug Gotterba’s ex-boyfriend and John Travolta’s former secretary.
Doug Gotterba – now 60 – is not quoted in the article – but the publication claims he did confirm he worked for John Travolta “for six years in the 1980s”.
John Travolta’s one-time secretary Joan Edwards – who worked for the star from 1978 to 1994 – told the National Enquirer: “Of course I knew he [John Travolta] was gay. It never bothered me.”
Joan Edwards goes on to reveal that she knew Doug Gotterba – detailing how he started working for John Travolta, 58, in 1981. She adds that she is still good friends with Doug Gotterba.
The tabloid then quotes Doug Gotterba’s ex-boyfriend Robert Britz in the article – who the pilot had a relationship with post-Travolta.
John Travolta is said to have had a long-term relationship with Doug Gotterba in the ‘80, before the actor's marriage to Kelly Preston in 1991
Robert Britz makes a string of claims about John Travolta and Doug Gotterba, saying: “Doug told me right at the beginning of our relationship that he’d had a homosexual relationship with John Travolta in the 1980s.”
He goes on to detail how:
• Doug Gotterba showed him a home video of John Travolta with his shirt off
• Says Doug Gotterba would chauffeur the actor to gay sex stores
• Claims Doug Gotterba told him it was “lucrative” to work for John Travolta
Five years into the relationship, Doug Gotterba began to tire of John Travolta, apparently becoming repulsed by his habits, according to Robert Britz.
“Doug said that he hated sleeping with John because his body was very hairy and he didn’t like they way John smelled,” Robert Britz claims.
He went on: “John would also become very heavy between movies. Doug called him <<huge>> and said it turned him off.”
“After a few years, Doug grew apart from John sexually, and John’s advances eventually started to repulse him,” Robert Britz said.
He added: “The relationship ended shortly thereafter.”
The Enquirer claims John Travolta went to great lengths to cover up his fling and used actress Brooke Shields – who was just 16 at the time – as a smokescreen by going on a few dates with her in public.
In his 1997 biography, John Travolta: Back In Character, author Wensley Clarkson says the dates with Brooke Shields were set up by their agents.
Doug Gotterba, 60, is the owner of a private jet company near Santa Barbara, California.
John Travolta was hit with two lawsuits last month from masseurs claiming the actor made sexual advances towards them during massages – but one claim was later withdrawn.
A string of other people came out of the woodwork making similar claims.
John Travolta’s legal team strenuously denied the allegations at the time.
