William Shatner sued for $170m by man claiming to be his long lost son

Peter Sloan’s mother allegedly had a brief affair with the Star Trek star when they performed together in a Toronto stage production

Peter Sloan, left, claims the Star Trek star is his father (Peter Sloan/Twitter)

William Shatner has been sued for $170m by a man claiming to be the Star Trek star’s long lost son. Peter Sloan, a 59-year-old radio DJ from Florida, claims Mr Shatner is his biological father, according to court documents obtained by Page Six.

Mr Sloan was given up for adoption shortly after his biological mother, Canadian actress Kathy McNeil, gave birth. She allegedly had a brief affair with Mr Shatner when they performed together in a Toronto stage production. The actor, now 85, has denied being Mr Sloan’s father.

According to the lawsuit, Mr Sloan met Mr Shatner in 1984, on the Los Angeles set of his second hit TV series TJ Hooker. Mr Sloan claims that the actor admitted to being his father, but that he was subsequently contacted by one of Mr Shatner’s representatives, saying he denied paternity and refused to take a DNA test.​

The representative urged Mr Sloan not to make his claims public, saying the story could be “horrendous” for Mr Shatner.

In 2009, the two men met again at a meet-and-greet event for Mr Shatner’s fans. Mr Sloan then began going by the name Peter Shatner on Twitter and on his local radio show. In 2011, Mr Shatner’s lawyer wrote to him, urging him to desist from using the name.

“There have been many people over the years who have claimed to be his children or other relatives,” the lawyer wrote. “He is an incredibly busy, 80-year-old man, and is not interested in spending time discussing this issue with you or any such individuals.”

Mr Sloan claims Mr Shatner’s representatives persuaded Twitter to shut down his “Peter Shatner” feed. He is now hoping the case will go to trial, he told Page Six, saying: “I am William Shatner’s son, and I just wish he would acknowledge me.”