Dec 27, 1989: Chuck Berry Sued, Accused of Peeping
by Best Classic Bands Staff
The Southern Air was a restaurant and service station located on Highway 61 in Wentzville, MO, not far from St. Louis that opened in 1937 in the years prior to the interstate highway system, serving both travelers and locals. It was acquired by Chuck Berry in the 1980s.
On December 27, 1989, a former cook at the restaurant, Hosana A. Huck, filed a lawsuit against Berry. It alleged that Huck and other employees and customers were videotaped without their knowledge in the ladies bathroom causing them distress and humiliation. The lawsuit alleged that the video tapes “were created for the improper purpose of entertainment and gratification” of Berry’s “sexual fetishes and sexual predilections.”
The suit caused the restaurant to close the next year. Eventually scores of other women joined it as a class action litigation. In late 1994 a settlement of all the lawsuits cost Berry $1.3 million.
Not among the legend’s finest hours.
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Related: 17 classic Chuck Berry covers
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Related: Berry led the list of dozens of great musicians who passed in 2017
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3 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationThis article is on how Chuck videotaped women in the bathroom. And the song you include as the audio clip is Wee Wee Hours. Now that’s funny……:)
One of the fathers of Rock and Roll was very suspect as a human being.
Lots of interesting stories on Chuck. I just read one in Steve Lukather’s bio about how Chuck was opening for the band Luke was touring with in Europe at the time (not Toto) and at the last minute, Chuck insisted he wanted his $5K up front, right NOW, or he wasn’t going on. Chuck actually had quite a history about getting paid up front, but hadn’t brought it up to the promoter until the last second. They managed to come up with the $5K. And, according to Luke, Chuck played a crappy set, complaining about his rhythm section while playing a guitar that was HORRIBLY out of tune.