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Christian Slater Claims Father Tried To Kill Him Before He Was Born, Blames Mental illness

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 05:38 PST, Apr 19, 2016

Christian Slater says he has all of the information he needs to know that his father, Thomas Knight Slater, suffers from manic-depressive psychosis, and he wants the elder Slater’s defamation case thrown out. Christian Slater says that he has proof his father is mentally ill, as he was committed before Christian Slater was born for trying to kill Slater’s mother when she was pregnant with him.

According to TMZ, Thomas Knight Slater was committed to Bellevue in a straitjacket after intentionally pushing Christian Slater’s mother when she was pregnant into a busy intersection. This happened back in 1972, and Thomas Knight Slater is still struggling and is now blaming Christian Slater for the reason he has had trouble getting work.

Thomas Knight Slater, who has not worked since 1988, blames Christian Slater, who confirmed that his father was struggling with mental health problems, for keeping him from getting jobs. Thomas Knight Slater has sent many letters to Christian Slater, saying that the younger Slater would be nothing without him and that he is the reason for Christian Slater’s success.

“I take FULL CREDIT: I’m the vital ingredient.”

Thomas Knight Slater has filed a defamation suit, claiming professional losses because Christian Slater made the elder Slater’s mental health problems public.

People Magazine is reporting that Thomas Knight Slater is suing Christian Slater for $20 million for defamation of character after the elder Slater accused Christian Slater of telling the world that he is schizophrenic. But the accusation says that Christian Slater shared in a 2015 interview that his father was suffering from manic-depressive psychosis. The elder Slater has not worked in the industry since the 80s, making it unlikely that the interview was the sole cause.

Thomas Knight Slater, who goes by the name Michael Hawkins in the industry, is suing Christian Slater and Slater’s mother, Mary Jo Slater, for slander, libel, defamation of character, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. A jury trial is demanded.

The lawsuit says that Slater/Hawkins, 80, has never suffered from or been treated for a mental illness and that Christian Slater does not have the credentials to make such a diagnosis. Slater/Hawkins says that the public disclosure has hurt him in the industry and prevented him from getting work.

In an interview with Interview Magazine, Christian Slater revealed that after a long estrangement, they had spoken recently, and the elder Slater was finally getting help.

“He’s a manic-depressive schizophrenic. He’s always had trouble—he was a fantastic actor and extraordinarily charismatic and very, very good looking, but he had a really difficult time working with directors, collaborating with people. And that made his life very challenging. He’s in a place now, getting a lot of help from someone.”

Slater said in the interview that he and his father were finally able to start building a bridge and communicate as adults rather than in a parent-child dynamic. This was all thwarted by the lawsuit filed by Slater/Hawkins, blaming Christian Slater and his mother for all of the setbacks the elder Slater had faced in the last 30 years.

Christian Slater said that growing up in the entertainment industry, he had surrogate parents, but at the time, he said he was looking forward to developing some form of relationship with his father.

Christian Slater believes that the lawsuit will be dismissed, as there is no foundation for losses and medical records will prove that the elder Slater has had mental health problems for most of his adult life.

Do you think that Thomas Knight Slater has a valid lawsuit against Christian Slater?

[Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images]

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