Celebrity Briefs: Dallas Star Victoria Principal Sued by Former Maid Maribel Banegas for Threatening to Shoot Her, False Imprisonment

Do you remember the show "Dallas?" Gosh, I was a big fan of just about all the cast members, but especially Victoria Principal. I just loved her and Bobby Ewing, played by Patrick Duffy. Well, the erstwhile Pamela Ewing is in a heckuva mess. She is the target of an assault lawsuit brought by former maid Maribel Banegas, who claims Principal pulled a gun on her after she took too long walking her dog one evening. Is this a shake-down or is this for real?

According to the complaint filed late last week in Los Angeles Superior Court, before she allegedly pulled a gun, Principal fired housekeeper Maribel Banegas and told her to leave after accusing her of staying away from the house for too long with the pooch. The former maid said that Principal then went upstairs and, instead of returning with her checkbook as Banegas expected, she had a gun in her hand. The lawsuit alleges that the actress then aimed the weapon at Banegas and threatened to kill her, even asking another housekeeper who was in the room to step aside so that she could shoot Banegas.

The maid said she locked herself in another room and called 911. The lawsuit claims Principal stood outside the door the whole time, persisting in her threat to kill the plaintiff. Banegas said that she couldn't leave Principal's Malibu home until law enforcement arrived. She is suing Principal for lost wages and unspecified damages due to the false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional stress. She is also asking for exemplary damages from Principal for showing "willful and conscious disregard" for her ex-employee's rights and safety.

Victoria Principal has a big problem on her hands. This is bigger than any role she has ever played. I guess I find it a little hard to believe that the cops did nothing when they came to the home after this dust-up. Wouldn't they have filed charges against Ms. Principal for false imprisonment, at least? Wait, I forgot that's California and maybe things are a little different there. There is also the real possibility that this could be a shake-down by the maid looking to score big bucks. Either way, this isn't the way Ms. Principal ought to get her name in the news again, especially since you have been off the radar for a long time.