Liza Marquez sued Caruso in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, claiming he promised to support her even after their nearly four-year relationship ended.
In her complaint, Marquez paints Caruso as a possessive, jealous boyfriend who was a reluctant father. The suit claims Caruso, 53, was verbally abusive to Marquez on several occasions and told her that he envisioned himself on a yacht in the French Riviera, not as a father.
Marquez's suit states she and Caruso started dating in April 2004 while she was working as a travel coordinator. The couple moved in together later that year, and Marquez claims she quit her job at Caruso's request. The suit states Caruso told Marquez that he would "always be there" to support her financially and in other ways.
Caruso was affectionate and caring in public, but withdrew from Marquez to a second home as the relationship deteriorated, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit states Caruso ended their relationship two days after she gave birth to their second child in October 2007. It claims the couple later reached an agreement that that actor would pay Marquez $1 million and $200,000 in attorney's fees, and give her a home in the San Fernando Valley.
Caruso broke that agreement, and Marquez is seeking the deed to the house, $1.2 million and punitive damages for fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims.
Stephen Kolodny, an attorney for Caruso, released a statement Thursday that said the lawsuit was filed with "false claims" and appears to be retaliation for Caruso seeking changes to the couple's custody arrangements.
Kolodny's statement says Caruso find the lawsuit "unfortunate since these claims will divert the parties and the court's attention away from the best interests of the children."
He said Caruso would have no further comment.
Caruso plays Horatio Caine on "CSI: Miami," which is in its seventh season on CBS and is consistently ranked among television's top-rated shows.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
