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RUSH Guitarist Breaks Silence On Legal Trouble

June 9, 2005

Embattled RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson sat down exclusively with MuchMoreMusic's Bill Welychka in Toronto recently to set the record straight, and speak for the first time about his alleged 2003 New Year's altercation in Florida — and the lawsuit he has now filed in response to the ordeal.

Lifeson, along with his son Justin and daughter-in-law Michelle, filed suit June 2 after being arrested for a scuffle with Collier County Sheriff's deputies at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Naples, Florida on New Year's Eve 2003.

"People don't know the truth," Lifeson told Welychka. "That's going to come out very soon. The case for the prosecutor started to crumble before our eyes and we realized they were applying a pressure on us that didn't really exist . . . It still hurts to read my name connected with 'Spoiled, Rich, Drunk Rock Star Throwing Cops Down Stairs.' That didn't happen."

News reports earlier this month indicate the Lifeson family is seeking an undisclosed amount of money for injuries, pain and suffering, mental anguish and legal defence costs. The Ritz-Carlton hotel, its security director, and three Collier County Sheriff's deputies are named in the suit.

Catch the complete interview on M3's news weekly, "The Loop Weekend" Saturday, June 11 at 1:00 p.m. ET (Repeat on June 12 at 11:00 p.m. ET).

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