BARRIE, Ont. – The woman seeking a DNA sample from actor Keanu Reeves said Monday that her family deserves compensation if he fathered of any of her children – an untested paternity claim that the star’s lawyer flatly denied.
Karen Sala said she and her four grown children had been “through hell and back” in her fight for millions in child and spousal support from the star of “The Matrix.”
However, Lorne Wolfson, the Hollywood star’s Toronto-based attorney, said he believes the case will be swiftly dismissed.
Sala, 46, of Barrie, Ont., filed legal documents in May seeking that Reeves be ordered to undergo a DNA test.
Both she and Wolfson made a brief appearance Monday in family court, where a case conference was set for Aug. 20.
Sala alleges she carried on a sexual relationship with Reeves before, during, and after her troubled marriage. She said she believes Reeves may have fathered one or more of her four children, now between the ages of 20 and 25.
None of her allegations have been proven in court.
“Mr. Reeves’ position is that the claims are totally frivolous, that he never had an intimate relationship with Ms. Sala, that the children are not his children,” Wolfson said outside court.
“This case should be dismissed at the earliest opportunity.”
Court documents show Sala is seeking $3 million per month in spousal support, retroactive to November 2006, as well as $150,000 per month in child support, going back to June 1988, in addition to the DNA test.
Reeves’ spokespeople have denied the star even knows her.
That denial has become a “form of embarrassment” for Sala, who on Monday maintained her version of events.
“The truth is a strange thing, and sometimes no one’s prepared for it. And it will come out,” she said outside court.
“You have to have faith.”
Sala refused to say why she didn’t file her suit against Reeves when her children were younger. But she did say she notified Reeves’ legal team before her youngest child turned 18.
Sala also said she had no qualms about asking for financial compensation.
“I’ve been through hell and back. The kids have been hell and back,” said Sala. “Why not? They deserve it.”
Wolfson said Sala had yet to provide any evidence to back up her “totally frivolous” accusations.
In a recent court filing, Sala said she had a photo taken of Reeves at her home in 2006. Wolfson said he’d yet to see any evidence of the photo.
While the 44-year-old Reeves was born in Lebanon, he lived in Toronto in the 1980s before moving to Hollywood. In addition to “The Matrix” trilogy, he has also appeared in “Speed,” “The Devil’s Advocate,” and “Constantine.”
Sala has said she’s known Reeves since she was nine and that she launched the suit to seek closure.
