A NEW YORK LOVE STORY

 The time is 1959. Successful NY personal injury lawyer Burt Pugach sees a beautiful young Linda Riss, ten years younger than he is,  at a bus stop. He finds out where she lives and shows up every morning in his fancy car offering her a ride to high school. Rides turn into dates  at all the swankiest New York spots like the Copa or the Stork Club or the nightclub he owns. Burt is a pilot who  owns a plane and they go flying. Then Linda finds out Burt is married and ends the relationship sending Burt into a jealous frenzy including phone calls saying "If I can't have you, no one can."

Shortly thereafter Linda Riss is blinded when two thugs attack her and splash lye in her face. 

Burt Pugach in the middle being arrested

Burt is arrested and prosecuted and loses a trial and sentenced to 30 years in prison. 

This is where the story becomes a New York Love story. 

Released after 14 years Burt becomes a "paralegal" and begins wooing...Linda.  Blind, having her youth taken from her in a horrific attack, she is alone and succumbs to his entreaties and they get married and spend the rest of their lives together. 

Burt and Linda 

Linda died in 2007 and Burt passed away recently. The story dominated the NY tabloids at the time of the attack and then again when they were married. "Marrying him was the best revenge" Linda was quoted by a newspaper as saying. 

Of course along the way Burt had an affair with a younger woman, she dumped him, he threatened her, she had him arrested, he had another trial in which Linda stood by his side and he was acquitted. Once again they were tabloid fodder for weeks. 

There is an exceptional documentary on this unusual live called Crazy Love. 

We highly recommend. it.