Roth takes ex-buddies to court

Los Angeles – David Lee Roth has filed a lawsuit against his ex-Van Halen bandmates, accusing them of conspiring to keep money from him.

The suit filed Thursday in Superior Court alleges that Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony diverted royalties and breached their fiduciary duty to Roth.

The singer claims the band signed a deal with Warner Bros. in 1996 without his knowledge or authorization for increased royalties from album sales. He claims his financial losses were estimated to be at least $200,000 at the end of 2001.

The former frontman wants an accountant to review the royalties and determine the interest on them. Roth also seeks unspecified compensatory, exemplary and punitive damages and legal fees.

Smith I.D. thief gets 37 months

Pittsburgh – A man who racked up nearly $33,000 on credit cards while using Will Smith’s identity can forget about any independence days for the next three years.

Carlos Lomax of Duquesne, who pleaded guilty in September to one count of using unauthorized credit cards, was sentenced Thursday to 37 months in federal prison.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Margaret Picking said Lomax, 42, opened 14 bogus credit accounts at Pittsburgh-area stores as Willard C. Smith, the full name of the actor-rapper who has starred in movies including “Independence Day,” without Smith’s authorization.

Senior U.S. District Judge Alan N. Bloch ordered Lomax to pay $64,076 in restitution as part of his sentence.

Few takers for Eminem’s old home

Warren, Mich. – The price on rapper Eminem’s boyhood home has plummeted from $12 million to $75,000 on the Internet auction site eBay.

Bids for the two-story house had climbed as high as $12 million weeks ago. So the home’s owners, Roland Fraschetti and Sebastian Lucido, hired a company to weed out phony bids.

About 300 old bids were scrapped. A new round of bidding started Dec. 5, with a minimum offer set at $120,000. Bidding ends at 8 p.m. Sunday.

So far, the best offer has been $75,000, said Fraschetti, a Macomb County commissioner from St. Clair Shores and a 25-year real estate veteran.

Assignment awaits wall artist

Vancouver, Wash. – Artist Maya Lin, who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is expected to sign a contract to create artworks along the Columbia River to commemorate the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

The contract should be signed in the next week, Confluence Project spokeswoman Kimberly Mejia said Thursday. She declined to say how much Lin would be paid for her work on the project, expected to cost $15 million overall.

The contract is for the creation of at least five and possibly seven pieces by early 2005, Jane Jacobsen, director of the Confluence Project, told the Vancouver City Council this week.

The project will include a bridge over Highway 14 that will link Fort Vancouver to the Columbia River.