The trial of Hustler publisher Larry Flynt has been temporarily called off due to urological surgery. Originally set to begin Jan. 19, the trial in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court in Cincinnati has been moved to April 5. \n But even as the postponement was granted, Flynt continued to turn up the heat on Washington politicians, including Rep. Bob Barr, a Georgia Republican who, as a member of the House Judiciary committee, led the effort to vote impeachment charges against President Bill Clinton. \n Flynt, 55, and his brother, Jimmy, 49, were indicted last April for selling sexually explicit videos at their sex novelty shop in downtown Cincinnati. Among the 15 counts with which they are charged are 12 for either pandering obscenity or disseminating obscene material to a 14-year-old boy. The Flynts pleaded not guilty in June. \n The publisher said he planned to use the trial to challenge local and state obscenity laws and to assert his First Amendment rights. \n The subject of the 1996 movie, "The People Vs. Larry Flynt," Flynt has been in a wheelchair since 1978. The type of surgery he is to receive in Los Angeles is said to be commonly required for paraplegics. \n In his motion for a continuance, H. Louis Sirkin, Flynt's lawyer, said the publisher's doctor had warned Flynt there would be serious health consequences if the surgery was delayed for more than 10 days. Judge Patrick Dinkelacker approved the request. \n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Flynt continued to make headlines on another front, thanks to an offer he made earlier to pay up to $1 million for information that demonstrated the hypocrisy of high-ranking U.S. officials over the Clinton sex scandal. This time, he charged that Rep. Barr, who has fought to limit the right of women to abortions, had an affair while he was married and also paid for a former wife's abortion.
