Judge tosses $20M suit filed against Christian Slater by his dad

A Los Angeles judge has canceled the $20 million slander lawsuit filed by Christian Slater's father against the "Mr. Robot" actor.

Judge Suzanne Bruguera made the ruling after dad Thomas Knight Slater, 77, appeared without a lawyer Monday and addressed the court with a prepared speech.

"While the defendant has a right to freedom of speech, he has no right to slander and defame me," he said in a booming voice that the judge asked him to lower at one point.

In her ruling, Judge Bruguera found that Thomas Slater's case lacked "significant legal grounding" and likely wouldn't prevail on its merits.

"I will be appealing this," the dad said after the hearing. "Christian is not going to get away with this."

Thomas Slater filed his complaint in February claiming his ex-wife Mary Jo Slater and their "Heathers" actor son destroyed his decades-long acting career with public claims he is a manic-depressive schizophrenic.

Slater, 46, quickly asked the court to reject the lawsuit, stating in a written declaration that his dad was diagnosed in 1972 after he was taken to Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital in a straight jacket for threatening to kill his wife and young son.

The elder Slater, known by his stage name Michael Hawkins, called the diagnosis claim a "lie" Monday.

"I need an admission by my son and ex-wife that they lied," he said outside the courtroom, vowing his appeal.

"My only goal is to speak to a jury of my peers - if there is such a thing since I'm superior to everyone else," he said with a laugh. "I have to prove to a jury that Mary Jo and Christian lied. That's what it comes down to. Unless that's done, my life is over."

Thomas Slater said he was born in Queens in December 1938 and "made a great living as an actor" in stage, TV and film roles. He originated the role of Frank Ryan on the ABC soap opera "Ryan's Hope" in 1976. His last film appearance was a small role in "Midnight Run" in 1988.

While Slater is now off the hook in the lawsuit, Mary Jo remains a defendant. Her lawyer told the judge Monday that she also plans to pursue dismissal of the case.

He pointed out that Thomas Slater filed a similar and unsuccessful lawsuit against Mary Jo in 1998 claiming she "blacklisted" him in Hollywood.

Slater, who won a 2016 Golden Globe award for his best supporting actor work on "Mr. Robot," previously told the court he financially supported his father between 1992 and 2010 with an agreement his dad would "see a psychiatrist to address his schizophrenia."

They remained largely estranged, however, and Slater said he received distressing letters and postcards from his dad.

"Plaintiff's letters consistently attempt to take full credit for any success that I have personally achieved. In plaintiff's view, I am successful only because he is my father. He bases this belief only on the fact that I have a half-brother (same mother, different father) who has not achieved success as an actor. In his words, 'I take FULL CREDIT for you success: I'M the vital ingredient,'" Slater said in his declaration.

Slater said that when he referred to his dad as manic-depressive schizophrenic in a discussion with Lars Von Trier published in Interview Magazine last year, he "genuinely believed" what he said.

Slater said it's his "understanding that there is no cure for schizophrenia, and that a diagnosis in the 1970s would remain a valid diagnosis today."

At the hearing Monday, Slater's lawyer said he was communicating with his client's father and hoped to "build on" a possible agreement to get the elder Slater more "help."

"When he said I needed 'help,' he meant psychiatric help. I claim that's a lie. That's slander and libel," Thomas Slater said after the hearing. "They're accusing me of being crazy. But I'm perfectly sane and a superior genius."