Lacy Underall and the Golf Lawsuit

Do you remember the 1980's comedy classic "Caddyshack" that starred Chevy Chase and Bill Murray?

In June 2006, Chicago native and actress Cindy Morgan (who famously played Chase's love interest Lacy Underall) hosted a "Caddyshack" charity golf tournament in the posh Chicago suburb of Oak Brook.

The tournament was corporate-sponsored and the Illinois Lt. Governor kicked it off with a news conference. It was held over 3 days, and was supposed to give fans a chance to play golf with Caddyshack cast members and sports celebrities like Jim McMahon.

The event was supposed to raise $250,000 for the Illinois Military Relief Fund, which benefits the families of National Guard troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

However, the Tribune recently had an article on the aftermath of the tournament.

After the golf, dinner, and drinks, the bills came in. The tournament ended up raising no money for the charity - but did raise several lawsuits and broke up friendships.

The article basically analyzed the situation, and concluded that Morgan got in over her head. She was just supposed to be the figure-head and spokesperson, but she ended up doing all the work.

She had set up a non-profit corporation, and says that her co-chair, who is an officer at a local bank, won't turn over the records to her. She thinks that there may be only $4,000 in the account.

The country club/hotel where the tournament was held is suing the non-profit for almost $100,000 in unpaid bills and a penalty, because they failed to book at least 100 rooms.

Morgan said she was naive, but takes responsibility because her name was on the event. She said the hotel forced them to the terms, and they tried to get enough people.

But the turn-out was low because they could not get Chase, Murray, or a lot of major celebrities.

They ended up with Murray's brothers, Tim Meadows, George Wendt, the actor who played Spaulding Smails, and some of the caddies.

What I found funny and bizarre is that Morgan personally got sued in California court by her one-time friend Hamilton Mitchell, who played the caddy Motormouth in the film. 25 years after playing a bit part, he wanted an appearance fee.

According to Morgan, he wanted $5,000 and a plane ticket. They ended up settling the suit for $3,000.

Considering that this was a charity for military veterans, I think the hotel and the caddy were being greedy.