Written By Rick
Ellis, Friday, December 28th, 2007
A New Jersey fan of "Star Trek" is suing Christie's auction house for
allegedly selling him a fake Commander Data visor and uniform.
Moustakis, 46, spent $11,400 for one of actor Brent Spiner's uniforms,
$6,600 for a poker table and another $6,000 for a visor worn in a season
finale."They were going to go on display in my home," the father of
six told the NY Daily News.
The collectibles were among 1,000 pieces of "Star Trek" history from
the CBS Paramount archives that were auctioned off at Christie's in
October last year, part of a 40th anniversary celebration of the landmark
show.
But when Moustakis showed the merchandise to Spiner at a Star Trek
convention in Las Vegas, the actor told him the merchandise was fake.
"He said he had told Christie's not to sell it," Moustakis said. The
table also turned out to be a fraud, and now he said he's wondering
about the uniform, as well.
In his lawsuit, Moustakis claims that Christie's and CBS Paramount
Television knew that some of the Star Trek items he purchased were not
authentic.
A spokesperson for CBS Paramount said in a statement that the company
could not comment because they had not been served with the lawsuit.
"I don't know if Christie's believes Star Trek fans are second-class
citizens, but if you're buying a $10,000 uniform or Star Trek memorabilia,
you're held to a different standard if you're buying a $100,000 painting,"
Moustakis said. "But obviously something went very wrong here."
|