Records: Morgan Freeman settles suit on car wreck
By HOLBROOK MOHR,
AP
Posted: 2009-11-05 17:07:15
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Morgan Freeman has settled a lawsuit
related to a 2008 car accident that seriously injured him and a
passenger, according to court records posted Thursday. Terms of the
settlement were not released.
Demaris Meyer filed a federal lawsuit against the Academy
Award-winning actor in February, claiming Freeman had been drinking
the night of the accident last summer and was negligent when the
car ran off the side of a rural highway near his Mississippi Delta
home.
The 1997 Nissan Maxima belonged to Meyer but she said Freeman
was driving when the car flipped several times and landed upright
in a ditch about 75 miles south of Memphis, Tenn. No charges were
filed.
Details of the settlement were not disclosed in court records.
U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills closed the case in a ruling
Thursday.
Freeman's attorney, Jack Hayes Jr., would not discuss the terms
of the deal, but said "we're all glad it's over with."
Meyer's attorney, Gloria Allred, wouldn't comment on the amount
of the settlement.
"Ms. Meyer is pleased that the matter is resolved and the case
is settled," she said.
Meyer, who lives in Memphis, had sued for medical expenses, pain
and suffering, lost wages, permanent disability and property
damage. The lawsuit claimed Freeman had been drinking that night at
the Bayou Bend Golf and Country Club and later at a friend's house.
Meyer also complained that she was wrongly "labeled as the
other woman" after the accident and "accused of having caused the
breakup of Mr. Freeman's marriage." Meyer has said Freeman offered
to let her stay that night at one of three houses on his property
after they attended a party.
Not long after the wreck, Freeman's friend, business partner and
lawyer, Bill Luckett, told reporters that Freeman and his wife,
Myrna Colley-Lee, had been separated since December 2007 and were
getting a divorce. The divorce was filed under seal in Tallahatchie
County Chancery Court and was not open to the public.
Freeman, 72, won an Oscar for his performance in 2004's
"Million Dollar Baby" and co-starred in "The Dark Knight." His
screen credits also include "Bruce Almighty," "The Shawshank
Redemption" and "Driving Miss Daisy."
11/05/09 17:05 EST