The former bass player for the Australian rock band INXS is being sued by the wife of a Studio City neighbor, who alleges the musician unleashed his dogs on her husband and the family dog.
Cindy Williams filed the lawsuit Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Garry Gary Beers. She alleges negligent infliction of emotional distress and seeks unspecified damages.
A representative for Beers could not be immediately reached today.
On Jan. 19, Beers and his wife, real estate agent Jourdan Conrad-Beers, sued Williams’ husband, Robert McGuigan, in Los Angeles Superior Court. The complaint alleges assault, battery, stalking and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Beers, 58, was walking his two dogs, Evie and Millie, near his home on Babcock Avenue about 9 p.m. Dec. 23 when McGuigan, whom the guitarist had never before met, walked out of his front door with his own dog, according to the lawsuit.
Evie, a boxer who is a registered service dog, slipped out of her collar and began to approach McGuigan’s home, the Williams suit states. Both McGuigan and his wife, Cindy Williams, began screaming at Beers “even though Evie was just trying to greet them,” according to the Beers complaint.
Beers claims he tried to calm the couple, but they continued to scream at him. Upon hearing the shouting, Millie became agitated and pulled free, the suit says. Beers attempted to call Evie to him, but the dog could not hear him over the screams of McGuigan and Williams and the barking of their pet, according to the musician.
Beers was able to restrain Millie and was trying to secure Evie on her leash when McGuigan kicked him in the side of the face, the suit alleges.
McGuigan kicked Beers in the face several more times while the plaintiff tried to protect himself with his left hand and implored the defendant to “stop attacking me,” the suit alleges.
But according to Williams’ suit, she witnessed Beers’ dogs attack her husband and their dog, Dakota.
“Specifically, Williams watched her husband be dragged to the ground by the dogs while suffering pain, fear and anxiety as Beers’ two large dogs bit and attacked him.” the suit states.
Beers’ animals had “vicious dispositions” and a “dangerous character,” the Williams suit states. In contrast, Dakota is “a gentle Labrador,” according to the Williams lawsuit.
Beers was a member of INXS from 1977 until the group disbanded in 2012. Lead singer Michael Hutchence committed suicide in November 1997.
