In September 1992, when she was known as Charlene O’- Brien, Amherst police charged her with grand larceny. Police said she paid $200 to two temporary employees of a furniture store to give her $1,269 worth of furniture. According to court papers, charges were later dismissed.
• In April 1993, she publicly accused Publishers Clearing House of calling her house and falsely promising that her thenhusband, Wayne, had won $1 million. The sweepstakes company denied any wrongdoing, and it is unclear what else occurred in the matter.
• In 1997, she sued an Amherst doctor for malpractice. The lawsuit went to trial, and a jury ruled in the doctor’s favor.
• In a matter still pending in State Supreme Court, Van Dusen sought $4 million in damages in a suit against a City of Tonawanda insurance agency, saying she suffered a back injury when her heel caught on a broken piece of wood in the insurance company’s doorway. The incident happened in March 2001.