Accused stalker of actor Alec Baldwin gets 30 days for contempt; trial is still ongoing
Alec Baldwin. Featureflash / Shutterstock.com
There was no shortage of drama this week as actor Alec Baldwin appeared in court in Manhattan to testify in the criminal trial of a woman accused of harassing and stalking him.
Defendant Genevieve Sabourin loudly accused Baldwin of lying on Tuesday as he said the two had never had any romantic involvement. Her lawyer, Todd Spodek, rushed her out of the courtroom as Judge Robert Mandelbaum threatened to hold her in contempt for repeated outbursts. Baldwin choked up as he told the court he was barraged with voice mails and emails from the Canadian actress demanding a relationship after he met with her to offer career advice, according to the New York Daily News and the New York Post.
Spodek contended that his client was simply seeking “closure” after she was dumped by Baldwin following a hotel tryst. The actor said he met with Sabourin and tried to advise her about her career as a favor to a movie-producer friend who was ending a relationship with Sabourin.
As Sabourin’s courtroom outbursts continued Wednesday, the judge gave her 30 days for contempt, according to the Associated Press and CNN.
“I can’t hear the attorneys. I can’t hear anyone speaking. I have warned you repeatedly,” said Mandelbaum. “You have made it impossible for the court to proceed and for the proceedings to occur appropriately.” Although the contempt term begins immediately, it is still expected that Sabourin will testify in her own defense on Wednesday as scheduled, reports the New York Post.
Sabourin started sobbing at the defense table after getting the contempt term, and began a diatribe about having “no family and no friends.”
Further emphasizing her emotional state, a prosecutor read into the record on Tuesday a 2012 email she allegedly sent the actor: “I will be in prime of my ovulation this St. Patrick’s Day and the best gift from you of all would be to conceive a mini Baldwin on this Ireland National Day.”
See also:
ABAJournal.com (2009): “Alec Baldwin Offers Divorce Advice in Paperback Book”
