West Hollywood Fight Breaks Out Over Liz Taylor Portrait

Before her death in 2011, Hollywood legend/Oscar-winner/humanitarian Liz Taylor became a frequent patron of The Abbey, the famous gay bar in West Hollywood (the one with all those sexy dancers). To the delight of the crowd, the movie star would be wheeled in to a backroom where she would sip martinis and greet fans.

Jesse Davis, a VIP manager at The Abbey during that time, became close friends with Taylor, he claims. Their friendship grew so intimate that Taylor invited Davis to his home and then gifted him with a portrait of herself. Davis offered to lend the portrait to The Abbey as an homage to its most famous regular; Taylor even helped Davis light the portrait properly.

Everything went smoothly until some gays got too drunk — during a New Year's Eve 2010 party, one barfly ripped the portrait off the wall and danced with it. Concerned, Davis took the painting to his home, but he claims Abbey owner Dave Cooley pleaded with him to return the portrait so The Abbey after Taylor's death so the establishment could memorialize the HIV activist.

Though Davis relented, the painting wasn't a gift, he claims. Davis says he contacted Cooley several times to retrieve the portrait, but his entreaties fell on deaf ears. Now he's suing for $75,000. In its report on the suit, WeHoville says Abbey representatives declined to comment on Davis's lawsuit.