George Clooney faces fraudsters in Italian court

[HMG] – George Clooney has a reputation for cool that is equaled by few of his peers, and this served him well when he was called to testify in a lawsuit against people who have stolen his name.

The 49-year old star of ‘ER’ and ‘Oceans Eleven’, is suing three Italian ‘entrepreneurs’ for $3.8-million after they used his name and likeness to sell their new fashion line, which they discreetly called “GC Exclusive by George Clooney.”

The arrival of the actor, who keeps a luxurious villa on nearby Lake Como sent the normally calm courthouse into full celebrity mode — George had to navigate crowds of admirers and cameras, muttering “Scusa, Scusa,” ['Excuse me' in Italian,] and warning them ‘Don’t crush my lawyers.’

Once inside, Clooney graced the stand in a navy blue suit, crisp white shirt and red-spotted blue tie, answering the defense’s questions via an interpreter.

Watched by dozens of fans he told the court that photos of him with the defendants – Vincenzo Cannalire, Vanja Goffi and Francesco Galdelli — were all fakes, and that signatures used by the trio were merely bad photocopies of his autograph.

“I don’t smoke, I don’t own that watch and I don’t wear this type of jeans,” George said, after studying one shot.

Clooney even addressed Cannalire directly during the trial;

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen him,” he told the court, “So I’d like to say hello, nice to meet you.”

George also assured those present that Goffi’s claims of a romantic connection were unfounded delusion;

“I have seen her for the last three years – in every single interview story, nearly every day,” he explained with a hint of annoyance. He then said Goffi had even moved to the same town to add weight to her claims, but;

“I’ve never met her. I’ve never seen her,” he explained firmly.

The three defendants face multiple charges of forgery, fraud and receiving stolen property for having exploited Clooney’s name to enrich themselves and their brand.

But there were lighter moments — George admitted he did endorse some brands — such as Martini.

“OK, you can laugh,” he said, addressing the throng of fans in the gallery.

After 90-minutes of unrelenting inquiry, George then left the building, surrounded by Italian police.

“They are taking advantage of a lot of people,” he told E and other reporters outside. “It seems the justice system is the only way to deal with it.”

The case is proceeding. But after testimony like that a verdict shouldn’t take long…