Ray Parker Jr. answered his famous "Who you gonna call?" catchphrase by telephoning his lawyer after seeing the Huey Lewis episode of VH1's Behind the Music earlier this month. Parker charges that some disparaging words Lewis said about him on the program violated the terms of the settlement of a lawsuit Lewis filed against Parker in 1985, alleging that Parker swiped the Huey Lewis and the News song "I Want a New Drug" for his Number One hit, "Ghostbusters."

After ten years of wrangling, the lawsuit was "resolved to the satisfaction of all the parties" in 1995, and settled for an undisclosed sum. Included in the agreement was a stipulation that prevented either Parker or Lewis from discussing the suit beyond a press release that was approved by both parties and released at the time of the settlement.

"Ray is extremely upset," said Parker's attorney, Henry Gradstein, of Gradstein, Luskin & Van Dalsem. "He has been wronged, but to tell you exactly how that happened I would have to reveal communications that I cannot." The firm filed the complaint against Lewis on March 21st, accusing him of breach of contract and public disclosure of private facts. Parker is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, plus attorney fees and costs of the suit.

"The fact that money was paid to resolve the underlying action was a private fact," the suit states. "Indeed, by contract, the parties to the settlement agreement agreed to maintain as private all facts concerning the manner in which the underlying action was resolved." Parker contends that disclosing "these private facts in 2001, nearly fifteen years after the parties executed the settlement agreement, was not a matter of legitimate public concern." The suit goes on to say that Parker and his company, Raydio, claim Lewis' comments were "inflammatory" and "disparaging."

Calls to Lewis' management and VH1 were not returned at press time.

JAAN UHELSZKI
(March 24, 2001)