Deposition Sealed in Case Against Roseanne

At the request of the National Enquirer, a judge sealed a deposition by a former reporter alleging that the tabloid trashed actress Roseanne Arnold’s rented home to concoct a pigsty story.

The comedian and her husband, Tom Arnold, denied charges that they extensively damaged their leased $3.5-million Benedict Canyon home and say the mess was made after they moved out in May, 1990. The mansion’s owners, Spencer and Suzanne Proffer, and their insurance company filed suit this year, claiming the Arnolds caused $205,296 in damage.

Richard S. Hoffman, attorney for the Lantana, Fla.-based tabloid, said Monday that the claims by former Enquirer reporter James W. Cruse are “absolutely, categorically false.”

Cruse told the Arnolds’ attorneys that he was in the mansion a day after the couple moved out following a 10-month stay. Cruse said that he told his editor the mansion sustained “normal wear and tear,” but that his editor ordered other Enquirer employees to empty trash cans inside the house, then photograph the mess.