Hustler publisher offers to aid Beach Access

Noaki Schwartz

COSTA MESA -- Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler and Big Brother

magazine, says he will financially assist the owner of a South Coast

Plaza surf shop in a possible court battle with Dr. Laura Schlessinger.

“We have problems like this across the country,” Flynt said. “I am

definitely sympathetic to what [Beach Access owner Thomas Moore] is going

through.”

Radio personality Schlessinger filed a $1-million lawsuit in Orange

County Superior Court against Moore earlier this month for publicly

calling her a liar. The lawsuit is part of an ongoing dispute that has

spanned nearly the entire summer.

Two months ago, Schlessinger took her son shopping at Beach Access and

saw a copy of Big Brother, a skateboarding magazine. On her nationally

syndicated radio show, she said that the magazine was pornographic and

unsuitable for children.

Moore denied that he would place such a magazine in Beach Access and

demanded that Schlessinger retract her statement. The bad publicity has

caused a significant decline in sales and has hurt his reputation in the

community, he said.

At the end of August, Moore’s lawyer Andrew Guilford suggested that

his client was interested in meeting with Schlessinger to quietly resolve

the situation. Those plans were derailed when Moore’s attorney called

Schlessinger a liar, said Allan Mayer, Schlessinger’s spokesman.

Guilford could not be reached for comment.

After hearing about Moore’s problems relating to his magazine, Flynt

decided to get involved. While his attorney “is not sure the suit is

going to go anywhere,” Flynt would like to “help the guy.”

“Basically [Dr. Laura’s] bent out of shape because we published

[unauthorized nude] photos of her,” Flynt said, adding that he believes

her frustration with Beach Access is a misdirected attempt at getting

back at Hustler.

Mayer, however, said that Flynt is entirely mistaken and that

Schlessinger is sincere in her efforts to protect children.