Valli’s Wife Charged in Eatery Dispute

The 39-year-old wife of 1960s teen idol Frankie Valli was charged Wednesday with misdemeanor battery for allegedly slapping a Moorpark restaurant owner across the face during a dispute over pricey entrees and vulgarity.

A certified letter will be mailed this week to Randy Valli ordering her to appear for an arraignment in Ventura County Municipal Court in about 30 days, Deputy Dist. Atty. Steven C. Phillips said.

If convicted, the wife of the 61-year-old crooner made famous by such songs as “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man” faces a maximum penalty of six months in Ventura County Jail and a $1,000 fine.

“We believe the evidence supports the charge,” Phillips said.

Frankie Valli’s agent, Fred Lawrence, declined to comment or to contact the Vallis at their Calabasas home. Lawrence said last week he was unaware of the incident, despite having frequent contact with his client.

The charge against Randy Valli stems from an altercation Oct. 7 in Moorpark at the upscale Secret Garden restaurant, which is owned by Bob and Sandra Sofsky, Sheriff’s Capt. Keith Parks said.

On that night, the Vallis were dining on rack of lamb and wine with friends from Thousand Oaks, singer and actor Frankie Avalon, 58, and his wife, Kay, 61.

According to some accounts, Randy Valli struck Sandra Sofsky after Sofsky had asked the group to leave the restaurant because of her claim that they were yelling foul-mouthed complaints about menu prices and had insulted the maitre d’.

Randy Valli’s side of the story has not been told--not even to detectives who have been unable to reach her or her husband. But Avalon has told The Times that he and his dining companions are “celebrated people,” and that Sandra Sofsky was a “woman who became a maniac.”

Avalon, made famous with songs like “Venus” and who appeared in films from “Beach Blanket Bingo” to “Grease,” accused Sofsky of twice trying to push Randy Valli off her chair and using Randy Valli’s purse to strike Frankie Valli.

Concerned for their safety, Avalon said, he dashed out of the restaurant with his wife and the Vallis without paying the $178 bill. The same week, though, Avalon mailed the Sofskys an apology and a $200 check.

Sandra Sofsky referred a reporter’s questions Wednesday to her husband, who said: “We have mixed feelings. We don’t want anybody to get in trouble, but at the same time I can’t have people coming in and committing battery.”

Bob Sofsky said his wife had not received an apology from Randy Valli, but he suggested that if she is found guilty, it would be amusing if she were sentenced to volunteer restaurant service.

“She could see what it’s like for people to be rude to you--her kind of behavior,” he said.