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Egyptian film actor Omar Sharif greets photographers and onlookers at Trencianske Teplice, Slovakia, last month at the international film festival Artfilm (Edo Genserek / Associated Press) |
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Omar Sharif became a film idol playing men who went to war, from a sheik who took on the Turks in "Lawrence of Arabia" to the sensitive battlefield surgeon in "Doctor Zhivago."
But it's Sharif's decision to step away from a fight that might make him an inspiration in Hollywood's legal circles.
Earlier this year, the 76-year-old actor stopped defending himself against a civil suit by a valet he struck in the face outside a tony Beverly Hills steakhouse in 2005. Sharif, who had spent two years and tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees attempting to settle the case, concluded that he was, in the words of one of his lawyers, "being shaken down" based on his celebrity.
Others may have gritted their teeth and written a check. Sharif refused. He let his attorneys go and said he was representing himself. Then he did nothing. He wrote no motions and attended no depositions. He skipped the trial.
The result was a default judgment, including a bill for the plaintiff's legal fees, of $449,000. A lopsided outcome, but perhaps not a satisfying one for the winner.
Sharif has no intention of paying a dime.
"His position is that the judgment is never going to be collected," said his former lawyer, Martin D. Singer.
An Egyptian citizen, Sharif has no assets in the United States and nothing to lose by flouting the judgment, former and current attorneys for Sharif say. The unpaid civil award won't prevent him from traveling to the U.S. or working in films in Egypt and Europe, as he often has in recent years.
For the valet, Juan Ochoa Anderson, possible remedies are costly and time-consuming. The 50-year-old father who still works as a valet at Mastro's Steakhouse can pursue Sharif's assets in Egypt. But that would require a new trial there, complete with the mandatory translation of thousands of pages of case documents into Arabic.
The law firm representing Anderson has already poured $131,000 into the case on behalf of its client, a Guatemalan immigrant who earned $6.75 an hour plus tips at the time the suit was filed. The lead attorney, John C. Carpenter, acknowledged that recouping that investment might prove impossible, but he insisted his side had scored a moral victory.
"We're certainly not crying because the verdict might be hard to collect or even uncollectable. Mr. Sharif has been exposed for the person he is," he said.
Sharif declined to comment. In criminal court, he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to two years' probation and anger management classes. It was not his first brush with the law. In 2003, he was fined $1,700 and given a one-month suspended sentence for head-butting a French police officer.
His criminal attorney says Sharif was initially remorseful and concerned about Anderson.
"He was drinking that night. It was a misunderstanding. He said, 'I would like to apologize to the man and if there's any cost to him, I'd like to pay for it,' " said lawyer Harland Braun. "He didn't realize it was Hollywood, and everyone tries to make a fortune off celebrities."
As the months turned into years and the $325-an-hour legal bills mounted, Sharif became convinced that the valet wanted a payout that reflected Sharif's fame, not real injuries.
Singer, Sharif's lawyer in the civil negotiations, said that the actor was willing to pay "thousands" but that Anderson's lawyer demanded "over a half-million dollars."
Anderson's attorney said those numbers were inaccurate but declined to say what the amounts were.
"We were prepared to pay an amount of money that would have been the most ever for a slap in the face," Singer said.
Ironically, what sparked the incident was a dispute over Sharif's money -- specifically a 20-euro note. On June 12, 2005, Sharif gave Anderson the bill as he climbed into the passenger's side of a Porsche sport utility vehicle outside the restaurant.
Anderson, who does not speak English well, gave the bill a quizzical look and handed it back to Sharif. According to the valet, the actor became enraged and punched him in the nose.
But it's Sharif's decision to step away from a fight that might make him an inspiration in Hollywood's legal circles.
Earlier this year, the 76-year-old actor stopped defending himself against a civil suit by a valet he struck in the face outside a tony Beverly Hills steakhouse in 2005. Sharif, who had spent two years and tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees attempting to settle the case, concluded that he was, in the words of one of his lawyers, "being shaken down" based on his celebrity.
Others may have gritted their teeth and written a check. Sharif refused. He let his attorneys go and said he was representing himself. Then he did nothing. He wrote no motions and attended no depositions. He skipped the trial.
The result was a default judgment, including a bill for the plaintiff's legal fees, of $449,000. A lopsided outcome, but perhaps not a satisfying one for the winner.
Sharif has no intention of paying a dime.
"His position is that the judgment is never going to be collected," said his former lawyer, Martin D. Singer.
An Egyptian citizen, Sharif has no assets in the United States and nothing to lose by flouting the judgment, former and current attorneys for Sharif say. The unpaid civil award won't prevent him from traveling to the U.S. or working in films in Egypt and Europe, as he often has in recent years.
For the valet, Juan Ochoa Anderson, possible remedies are costly and time-consuming. The 50-year-old father who still works as a valet at Mastro's Steakhouse can pursue Sharif's assets in Egypt. But that would require a new trial there, complete with the mandatory translation of thousands of pages of case documents into Arabic.
The law firm representing Anderson has already poured $131,000 into the case on behalf of its client, a Guatemalan immigrant who earned $6.75 an hour plus tips at the time the suit was filed. The lead attorney, John C. Carpenter, acknowledged that recouping that investment might prove impossible, but he insisted his side had scored a moral victory.
"We're certainly not crying because the verdict might be hard to collect or even uncollectable. Mr. Sharif has been exposed for the person he is," he said.
Sharif declined to comment. In criminal court, he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to two years' probation and anger management classes. It was not his first brush with the law. In 2003, he was fined $1,700 and given a one-month suspended sentence for head-butting a French police officer.
His criminal attorney says Sharif was initially remorseful and concerned about Anderson.
"He was drinking that night. It was a misunderstanding. He said, 'I would like to apologize to the man and if there's any cost to him, I'd like to pay for it,' " said lawyer Harland Braun. "He didn't realize it was Hollywood, and everyone tries to make a fortune off celebrities."
As the months turned into years and the $325-an-hour legal bills mounted, Sharif became convinced that the valet wanted a payout that reflected Sharif's fame, not real injuries.
Singer, Sharif's lawyer in the civil negotiations, said that the actor was willing to pay "thousands" but that Anderson's lawyer demanded "over a half-million dollars."
Anderson's attorney said those numbers were inaccurate but declined to say what the amounts were.
"We were prepared to pay an amount of money that would have been the most ever for a slap in the face," Singer said.
Ironically, what sparked the incident was a dispute over Sharif's money -- specifically a 20-euro note. On June 12, 2005, Sharif gave Anderson the bill as he climbed into the passenger's side of a Porsche sport utility vehicle outside the restaurant.
Anderson, who does not speak English well, gave the bill a quizzical look and handed it back to Sharif. According to the valet, the actor became enraged and punched him in the nose.
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