A recent lawsuit nearly cost Jean-Claude Van Damme, a legendary 90s action movie star, his $40 million fortune. Frank Dux, the alleged inspiration for Van Damme’s Bloodsport, Universal Soldier, and Double Impact, sued him for failing to share in the film’s success and give him a cut of the profits from The Quest. Van Damme may have gone bankrupt if not for a strange earthquake story that helped him win the lawsuit.
Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Earthquake Story
Since the 1990s, when his many action film performances cemented his reputation, Jean-Claude Van Damme has been a household name. The actor has appeared in various films, including Kickboxer, Hard Target, and Timecop. Bloodsport, the film that launched his career and became a household name, is his most famous work.
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Jean-Claude Van Damme based his 1996 film, The Quest, on the real-life adventures of boxer Frank Dux. Dux stated that he and Van Damme verbally agreed that Dux would receive a portion of the film’s profits and writing credit. However, Van Damme denied these allegations, and Dux sued him for $900,000.
According to Frank Dux, he and Jean-Claude Van Damme made an agreement that was recorded. But he never did play the recording, saying that the storage facility where it was kept was destroyed in an earthquake. Dux testified that the earthquake had buried the recording under three tonnes of concrete, rendering it unusable as evidence.
It’s hard to believe, but Van Damme’s earthquake story was crucial in his legal victory. The court sided with Van Damme, sparing him from bankruptcy, because there was no proof to support Dux’s claims without the recording.
For a long time, people have questioned the veracity of Frank Dux’s account of the Kumite, the underground fighting tournament that inspired Bloodsport. In 1988, after Bloodsport had been released, the Los Angeles Times looked into Dux’s claims and concluded there was no proof to support them.
Frank Dux’s Claims: The Truth Revealed
Dux claimed to have served in Southeast Asia, but the newspaper pointed out that he was stationed in San Diego during that time and cast doubt on his story. The San Fernando Valley was also partially responsible for producing the Kumite trophy he claimed to have won.
Dux maintained his innocence despite the absence of proof and even published a book titled The Secret Man in which he described his purported exploits as a martial artist and covert operative. However, many have disproven his claims, and some have even accused him of making up the whole thing.
Jean-Claude Van Damme has had a fruitful Hollywood career despite the lawsuit and the earthquake hoax. Through his work in film and television, he has amassed a fortune of $40 million.
Likewise, Van Damme has been open about his own struggles, such as his fight against drug addiction and depression. Despite this, he has triumphed over adversity and now serves as an example to others.
Source: Empire
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