Crazy Love and Crazy Laws.

Recently this blog has been getting a lot of hits from Google on searches for "Linda Riss," "Burt Pugach" and every possible combination and variation on those two names. I've covered the story of Ms. Riss before. In fact, her story was one of the first pieces ever posted here.

Linda Riss was an attractive young woman who became involved with a married man, a lawyer by the name of Burton Pugach. When she finally figured out that he was never going to leave his wife, she tried to break off the relationship, but old Burt wasn't having it. He stalked her and threatened her. She went to the NYPD trying to get protection, but got nowhere. Burt was a lawyer, after all.

So, Linda tried to go on with her life. She got engaged. She got a call from Burt, who said (in effect), "This is your last chance. If I can't have you, no one can have you, and when I'm done with you, no one will want you." The next day an assailant threw lye in her face, blinding her and scarring her for life.

Burton Pugach went to jail. Linda Riss sued the City of New York for failing to protect her. She lost. Burt served twelve years on a 15-t0-30 sentence, and when he got out of prison he was interviewed on television.

He proposed to Linda Riss over the airwaves.

She married him.

And then he cheated on her as he had cheated on his previous wife. Then he stalked his lover as he had stalked Linda.

And Linda Pugach testified for him as a character witness.

So why is this site getting so many hits on "Linda Riss" and "Burt Pugach"? Because at this year's Sundance Film Festival there's a documentary called Crazy Love about the Riss/Pugach story.

While I doubt seriously that Crazy Love will much note, or even mention Linda's lawsuit against NYC or its outcome, I have one thing to say:

I bet it's going to be a better documentary than Zoo.

One other thing:

Too bad no one ever introduced Burton Pugach to equestrianism.