user: Q: Former cruise ship staffer drops sexual assault lawsuit against John Travolta after actor's request for private arbitration gets rejected

The former cruise ship staffer who claimed John Travolta assaulted him with a naked, full-mast hug has dropped his lawsuit against the actor.

The surprise reversal came just three days after a federal judge denied Travolta's request to force the matter into private arbitration — a decision that cleared the decks for a public trial.

Fabian Zanzi claimed in his bombshell lawsuit last June Travolta tried to rock his boat in 2009 after he delivered a room service meal to the "Pulp Fiction" star aboard a Royal Caribbean ship.

"Travolta forced his naked person and his erect penis against plaintiff's person causing plaintiff to experience pain, shock, embarrassment, distress and fear," the complaint filed in federal court in Los Angeles stated.

Lawyers for Zanzi and Travolta signed paperwork dismissing the action Monday, according to court records.

The voluntary action includes a clause that prevents Zanzi from refiling the case, the paperwork states.

Attempts to reach the parties Tuesday were not immediately successful.

Zanzi's original claim mirrored sexual battery lawsuits filed - but later withdrawn - by masseurs in Beverly Hills and Atlanta last year.

Travolta has vehemently denied the horny high-jinks asserted in the legal claims.

Zanzi, who lives in Chile, first gained headlines last May when he told a Chilean news program that the high-flying Travolta drew him close during their alleged encounter with a gripe about something hurting his neck.

When Zanzi approached the married actor to help, Travolta shed his robe and "forcefully" embraced the unsuspecting seaman, his complaint said.

"Travolta stated to plaintiff that he was beautiful and asked plaintiff, 'Take me, I will take care of you, please,'" the lawsuit claimed.

Zanzi claimed a superior "refused" to allow any mention of the alleged indecent proposal in his written report.

Travolta's lawyer, Marty Singer, seized upon that lack of written documentation.

"In his handwritten report three years ago, the only physical contact he claimed occurred was allegedly touching my client's neck," Singer said. "The inappropriate conduct he alleges in his lawsuit is absent from his written report he submitted at the time. That glaring omission speaks volumes."

Singer also questioned why Zanzi continued to work for Royal Caribbean for more than year after the alleged mistreatment by his superiors.

"Now, after waiting three years, Mr. Zanzi has filed this absurd lawsuit," Singer said last year.

The first masseur to sue the actor, pilot and prominent Scientologist in federal court withdrew his claim after admitting his alleged sexual battery in California did not take place on the date he cited in his paperwork — a day when Travolta was thousands of miles away in New York.

He claimed he simply got the timing wrong and later hired high-powered lawyer Gloria Allred.

The second masseur, revealed by the Daily News to be Atlanta-area fitness coach John Truesdale, also withdrew his lawsuit and hired Allred after turning down a verbal settlement offer of $125,000, a source close to the situation told The News.

Travolta's sex scandal also included claims by his former pilot Doug Gotterba the men shared a secret gay relationship in the 1980s.
What are the most important parts of this text?

A: The former cruise ship staffer who claimed John Travolta assaulted him with a naked, full-mast hug has dropped his lawsuit against the actor.


Q: Above and beyond the minimum wage

The campaign to raise the U.S. minimum wage is gaining traction this election cycle. There are six statewide initiatives — four of them in Republican-controlled states — to raise the state wage floor above the federally mandated $7.25 per hour. “Activists on both sides of the issue say the proposals stand a good chance of passing,” writes Andy Sullivan.

This is where the initiatives are on the ballot:

The movement to raise the minimum wage has been a traditional policy initiative of the Democrats, with President Obama’s proposal to raise the minimum wage blocked by congressional Republicans. If multiple measures pass in heavily Republican states, however, Congress might feel pressure to reconsider the federal issue, says Sullivan. The ballot questions could also boost Democrats’ chances of retaining Senate control in the November midterms, adds Sullivan, by encouraging low-wage workers to come to the polls.

The last federal hike was in 2007, after Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Nevada and Ohio, all successfully raised state minimum wages. If the current ballot initiatives succeed, an estimated 419,000 workers would get pay increases.
What are the most important parts of this text?

A: The campaign to raise the U.S. minimum wage is gaining traction this election cycle.


Q: Game Hunters: In search of video games and interactive awesomeness

The highly anticipated sequel in the Gears of War series will arrive Sept. 20, Epic Games has confirmed.

Gears of War 3, which will be available on Xbox 360, will again feature Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad as they continue their fight against the alien Locusts and a new foe called the Lambent.

The shooter will feature a four-player cooperative campaign as well as Beast mode, a variation on the franchise's Horde mode where players work as Locusts to take down Delta Squad. Read more about it in our preview from last year.

Epic Games is expected to launch beta soon for Gears of War 3, which players can gain access to by purchasing the Epic Edition of first-person shooter Bulletstorm, in stores now.

Readers, looking forward to Gears of War 3?

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A:

assistant: Rev up the chainsaws: 'Gears of War 3' launching Sept. 20 - Game Hunters: In search of video games and interactive awesomeness - USATODAY.com - Game Hunters: In search of video games and interactive awesomeness