Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton is being sued by a woman who claims his pet monkey bit and injured her daughter during a visit to the singer’s former mansion-turned-tourist attraction two years ago, The Associated Press reports.
Jocelyne Urena, a Vegas resident, filed a civil negligence complaint on behalf of her daughter, Genevieve, on Wednesday. She’s seeking at least $15,000 in damages.
Genevieve was 15-years-old when, during a tour of Newton’s former home, Casa de Shenandoah, a capuchin monkey named Boo allegedly bit her right wrist. The lawsuit alleges the monkey – who was not caged or on a leash at the time – attacked Genevieve without provocation. Urena’s lawyer said Genevieve required hospital treatment, follow-up medical treatment and counseling, while the bite also left her with a scar.
In response to the lawsuit, Newton’s wife, Kathleen McCrone Newton, shared a statement with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, noting that Newton’s company severed ties with the company running Casa de Shenandoah in July 2017, three months prior to the alleged monkey attack. Ironically, McCrone Newton said the family pulled out of the business venture “due to Wayne’s almost dying from a spider bite” and being hospitalized.
McCone Newton added, “[W]e are not party and have no idea what happened in Oct. 2017… John Munson and his company took over July 1, 2017.”
Newton and his family lived at Casa de Shenandoah for over 40 years, but sold it in 2010 to investors, who converted it into a tourist spot and museum (the company, CSD LLC, is also named in Urena’s lawsuit). Newton and his family moved to a different home in 2013.
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