Love lands a lawsuit

Courtney Love has been named in court documents that claim she "behaved badly" on the set of her latest movie, Beat. The 35-year-old singer-turned-actress - currently in London for studio rehearsals - is claimed to have thrown a "violent verbal tantrum" about a hamburger, during which she is said to have called a woman film executive a "whore" and banned her from the set.

The court papers allege that the tirade, which took place in front of cast and crew on location in Mexico, saw Love accuse production supervisor Alexandra Cardenas of "being a spoiled rich girl, of stealing money, of exploiting and treating her crew badly, and of being a 'puta'," the Spanish word for whore.

Love is among the defendants named in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by Background Productions, arising from work on Beat - about the life of beat-generation writer William Burroughs. The company is alleging breach of contract, fraud, defamation and infliction of emotional distress for the insulted supervisor.

In the film, Love plays Burroughs's second wife, Joan Vollmer, who was shot and killed by him in 1951, during a drunken re-enactment of the famous William Tell and the apple story.

Keifer Sutherland plays the acclaimed drug-addicted author of The Naked Lunch and Junkie.

Background claims it was underpaid for managing the production of Beat, and is asking for more than £160,000 in damages.

Cardenas accuses Love and producer Alain Silver of defamation that brought on health problems. She alleges that she was insulted on many occasions by Love and claims that Love would not allow her on the set for the final three days of photography. She also states in the court documents that the stress caused her to suffer an acute back hernia that required surgery, and chronic poor health since filming wrapped.

Another plaintiff, Background chief executive Antonio Zavalas, claims that temperamental Love also called him and his co-workers "corrupt Mexicans, decadent and rich".

Background claims it originally entered into a July 1999 agreement to receive about £560,000 to manage all aspects of production on Beat, which was largely filmed in Mexico last summer.

According to its complaint, Background was later told by producer Silver that "the film had to be done for [less than £500,000] - 'not one dollar more, not one dollar less'." Love has not commented on the law suit, and neither have co-defendants Donald Zuckerman and Andrew Pfeiffer.

Love is believed to be following in Madonna's footsteps by house-hunting in London. The singer was most recently spotted at former Creation boss Alan McGee's Radio 4 club night at Notting Hill Arts Club, where she joined Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie for a spot of DJ-ing.