THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 27, 1996 TAG: 9607270189
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARC DAVIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 57 lines
Movie star and martial arts champion Chuck Norris says two local karate studios that bear his name have smeared his reputation by discriminating against blacks.
Norris is demanding $1.5 million in damages from owners of the studios in Norfolk and Virginia Beach. He also demands that the studios remove his name and image.
Norris - using his real name, Carlos R. Norris - filed suit Wednesday in Norfolk's federal court against studio owners Cathy C. Smith of Virginia Beach and W. Harvey Laney of Chesapeake, and their two companies, Defensive Arts Inc. and Second Defensive Arts Inc.
The Chuck Norris Karate Studios are on Laskin Road in Virginia Beach and at Janaf Shopping Center in Norfolk.
At the Virginia Beach studio Friday, Laney said there is more to the lawsuit than meets the eye. ``This is the latest move by Mr. Norris to not honor his agreement,'' Laney said. He would not elaborate.
Laney and Smith have not yet replied to the lawsuit; they have a month to do so.
In 1992, the two karate studios agreed to settle race discrimination lawsuits filed by five black families. The lawsuits said the studios systematically discouraged blacks from joining by offering less-favorable membership and financial terms.
The studios denied the charges but agreed to pay $2,863 each to 11 youngsters, plus $1,000 to each set of parents. The studios also agreed to a list of anti-discrimination measures ordered by the Justice Department. Among other things, they agreed to include blacks in ads and promotional materials, and to advertise in black-oriented publications.
In the lawsuit this week, Norris said he was unaware of the studios' discrimination and would have stopped it had he known.
``Mr. Norris abhors racial discrimination and, indeed, has found that the Black community has been among some of his strongest supporters and fans,'' the lawsuit says. ``Discovering that studios bearing his name had been engaged in such activities came as a great shock to him and caused great mental anguish for which he seeks damages.''
The studios' continued use of Norris' name ``causes confusion and deceives the public into believing that Norris sponsors and approves of such morally shocking and illegal actions,'' the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit also accuses Smith and Laney of violating a 1976 licensing agreement with Chuck Norris Enterprises in other ways. Norris claims that Smith and Laney violated the agreement by not opening five studios by 1980 and not expanding to 30 studios by 1994. There are only two today.
Norris also claims that Smith and Laney violated the agreement by not operating the studio ``in a first-class manner'' and by not adequately advertising and marketing the studios. ILLUSTRATION: FILE photo
The defendants in the suit filed by martial-arts star Chuck Norris,
above, have 30 days to file their response. by CNB