'Exorcist' director, former Paramont prez sue ADT

BEL-AIR, Calif.--A Hollywood couple on Aug. 29 filed suit against ADT, saying burglars have been targeting homes in this swanky Los Angeles suburb "because of the company's slow response," according to Rueters. William Friedkin, Oscar-winning director of the '70s horror film, 'The Exorcist,' and Sherry Lansing, former president of Paramount Pictures, are seeking a refund of $25,000 for the cost of the security system and unspecified "compensatory and punitive damages. In addition, they've proposed a class-action status for their suit, which was filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court. ADT director of corporate communications Ann Lindstrom said she is precluded from commenting on the elements of the case because litigation is ongoing. However, she noted that the case is related to a specialized guard response service, available only in the Los Angeles area, not ADT's well known electronic home security services. Regarding the claim that robbers have been targeting ADT homes in Bel-Air, she noted that Lieutenant Ray Lombardo, the Los Angeles police officer who is in charge of the investigation, directly refuted those charges saying no such pattern exists. "Every day, ADT responds to over 130,000 alarm signals with world-class response times," Lindstrom said. The couple chose a specialized 24-hour ADT security guard response service when they moved into a Bel-Air mansion in 2006. Last December, when the couple was out of town on vacation, reports say it took ADT one hour and 45 minutes for a patrolman to arrive after an alarm sounded. The patrolman came and left without notifying the police or investigating the scene. However, the next morning, a housekeeper arrived and "found the alarm still blaring ... a stepladder perched beneath the second balcony. Broken glass littered the floor ... drawers in the bedroom and bathroom left open and their contents strewn about," according to Film News. Jewelry with "significant amounts of value ... that was unique and irreplaceable" was stolen.