NY- "Cinderella Man" star Russell Crowe is expected to get hammered this week with a massive lawsuit that will provide a blow-by-blow account of his alleged June 6 telephone rage assault against a downtown hotel clerk.
The suit will charge that Crowe hurled a ceramic bowl at Mercer Hotel clerk Nestor (Josh) Estrada after hitting the 28-year-old Brooklyn man in the face with a thrown phone - an attack captured on video, according to sources familiar with the incident.
The bowl shattered against a wall near the clerk's head, according to the sources. After the predawn explosion - witnessed by two other employees at the SoHo hotel - Crowe took a deep bow and assumed a karate stance, the sources said.
The Academy Award-winning actor has apologized for blowing up at Estrada after being unable to get a call through to his wife in Australia. But brief settlement talks went nowhere, and Estrada is set to file suit this week.
Much of Crowe's lobby act was captured by a hidden security videotape camera, the sources said.
That tape is now in the possession of the Manhattan district attorney's office, which has charged Crowe, 41, with felonious assault and criminal possession of a weapon. The "Gladiator" star could face seven years in prison, if convicted
Crowe's high-profile attorney, Gerald Lefcourt, declined to comment on the case or the pending lawsuit except to say, "Russell Crowe went on three national television programs apologizing for the incident and making amends and he is trying to put it behind him."
Estrada's attorney Eric Franz would say only, "I'll do my talking through the legal process."
The lawsuit, to be filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, will seek unspecified punitive and compensatory damages. It will also detail Crowe's past blowouts.
Sources said the suit is expected to include this chronology in the Mercer Hotel incident:
Shortly after 4 a.m., an apparently jet-lagged Crowe, in town to promote "Cinderella Man," became frustrated when he failed to reach his wife.
He complained to the hotel desk several times, finally demanding the clerk's name. "Josh," said Estrada, who goes by his middle name.
"I'm coming down to see you," said Crowe, cursing at Estrada, according to those familiar with the incident.
A few minutes later, Crowe appeared in the lobby with his room phone in hand asking for Josh, as the two other clerks looked on aghast.
Estrada identified himself and Crowe, grasping the phone over his head with two hands, hurled it at him as if he were making an inbounds pass in a soccer game.
The clerk was knocked to the floor by the blow. Crowe then picked up the ceramic bowl and threw it, turned around, bowed and assumed the karate stance, according to witness accounts.
Meanwhile, Estrada scurried out a nearby door and dialed 911. Police arrived shortly after and arrested Crowe, who spent the rest of the night behind bars.
Sources in the Crowe camp who requested anonymity noted that Estrada suffered a 1-inch gash on his right cheek, but no permanent damage.
New York Post: RUSSELL Crowe will have a hard time convincing anyone he was "not aiming" when he threw a telephone at Mercer Hotel concierge Nestor "Josh" Estrada earlier this month.
After clipping Estrada in the head, the Oscar-winning actor also picked up a ceramic vase and hurled it at Estrada, a source said. "It could have killed him."
The irascible Australian faces up to seven years in jail on charges of assault and weapons possession.
Two fellow staffers were watching, and the entire episode was videotaped. One source familiar with the tape said, "It's all there. After throwing the vase, he takes a bow like he's just completed a performance on stage and then he takes a karate stance."
The word that set Crowe off was "whatever," which Estrada muttered after the frustrated Crowe had called repeatedly to berate him because he couldn't get an international long-distance line.
According to the source, "Crowe says, 'What's your name?' He says, 'Josh.' Crowe says, 'Well, Josh, I'm coming down right now to kick your ass.' When he got to the lobby, he said, 'Are you Josh?' He wanted to make sure he was assaulting the right person. Then he threw the phone."
Crowe's lawyer, Gerald Lefcourt, told PAGE SIX: "Russell has done everything he can to make amends. He went on na- tional television three times to say he was sorry."
Crowe and his lawyer immediately reached out to Estrada, "but we couldn't get ahold of him," Lefcourt said.
Estrada's lawyer, Eric Franz, who is expected to file a civil lawsuit against Crowe, declined to comment.
A Crowe supporter said Estrada provoked Crowe with a snarky attitude. "He was very slightly injured, and has no damages," said the Crowe fan. "How much do you think he deserves?"
Crowe, who had just returned from a whirlwind trip to England to see a prizefight and promote "Cinderella Man," told David Letterman his outburst was the result of a "combination of jet lag, loneliness and adrenaline . . . Not being able to tell your wife that you're home and safe and you're OK is frustrating, particularly with the time thing."
