A Los Angeles district court ruled in favor of actor William Shatner last week, denying monetary compensation to the estate of deceased Trichologist, Dr. Raul St. Pierre D’Aquisto. The case revolved around an unpaid medical bill dating back to 1977.
According to court records, the D’Aquisto family claimed that Shatner, an actor, owed the D’Aquisto estate 6.2 million dollars for an unpaid medical bill dating back to 1977. The records indicate the bill in question was for the balance due Dr. D’Aquisto after a hair transplant procedure, $10,000.00, plus 18% accrued interest, which was compounded monthly for 35 years. In documents and medical records entered into evidence by representatives of the D’Aquisto estate, the total cost for the procedure was $15,000.00. Records also indicate that Mr. Shatner did pay an initial $5,000.00 “consulting fee”, but dunning records indicate no further payments were received by Dr. D’Aquisto.
Attorneys for Shatner countersued on their clients behalf, charging that after the procedure, Dr. D’Aquisto failed to return Mr. Shatner’s hairpiece, and that the only leverage Shatner had for return of his personal property was non-payment of the bill.
The court sided with Shatner’s attorneys, who then dropped their countersuit, and the case was dismissed.
At a brief news conference, Mark D’Aquisto, the grandson of the late Dr. D’Aquisto, commented on the court’s decision. “Our family holds no animosity toward Mr. Shatner. Of course, we’re not pleased with the outcome, but this was primarily an action the family needed to address in order to settle the estate of my grandfather.” He went on to say, “This ruling lets our family move forward”, adding, “We’ve got Bill’s Toupee”.