Cook Leaves Haunted L.A. Apartment

Comedian DANE COOK has abandoned another appeal against the court-ordered eviction of his Los Angeles apartment – despite insisting that the allegedly haunted home helps his work.

The Good Luck Chuck star was hit with a lawsuit filed by his landlord in April (08), alleging he allowed his pet dog to defecate on the land surrounding the West Hollywood home. The legal papers claimed the funnyman had ignored three prior warnings from the building’s owner.

Cook returned to court last week (beg15Sep08) to appeal the case, claiming an eviction would cause him “emotional hardship”.

Pleading with the court to bar the eviction, Cook claimed the pad – once home to John Belushi and Steve Martin – was haunted.

In his argument, Cook claimed that moving from the home would send his career into ruin, because living there fueled his creativity.

The actor’s landlord won the dispute on Monday (22Sep08), citing a swarm of complaints from neighbors that the dog, named Beast, leaves his mess in the common areas of the apartment block.

Cook initially contested the case – but according to celebrity website TMZ.com, the actor has since requested his lawyers abandon the fight, choosing instead to pay the landlord an undisclosed sum of money to settle the dispute once and for all.

Cook recently became the owner of a $7 million (#3.8 million) home in the Hollywood Hills.

(JMA/WNWCZM/MT)