Palimony Cases Bring Out Lurid Side of Lush Lives : Lawsuit: If Claire Maglica prevails in her claim for $150 million she will establish a record.

Sex, loads of money, spurned lovers. There’s nothing quite like a star-studded palimony case.

The term “palimony” was coined in the 1970s when Michelle Triola sued actor Lee Marvin, her former lover, contending that she was promised a share of his earnings in exchange for her wifelike duties over the years they lived together.

A judge found there was no agreement to share Marvin’s income, but a jury awarded Triola $104,000 to help her get back on her feet. Marvin appealed and won.

“It’s probably the most well-known palimony case, but she got zip, zero,” said Max A. Goodman, a palimony expert at Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles.

In California, common law marriages are not recognized. But the Marvin case set precedent that financial compensation could be awarded to a partner following a break-up if it could be proved that there was an agreement to share earnings.

The trial of Maglica vs. Maglica got underway Thursday in Orange County Superior Court, where Anthony Maglica, the founder of a $300-million flashlight empire, is being sued by his companion of more than 20 years, Claire Maglica, who is also vice president of the company and claims Maglica’s last name as her own.

Claire Maglica is seeking at least $150 million--half of the company’s assets. If she prevails, legal experts say, the case would be a record because such a large amount of money is involved.

Some other well-known palimony cases include the 1989 suit filed by actress and director Sondra Locke against longtime lover Clint Eastwood. Adding to the sensational nature of the case against Eastwood was the fact that Locke was still legally married to her first husband at the time.

Records were sealed in the Eastwood case and proceedings were later held behind closed court doors. Rumors circulated that Locke received several million dollars in a settlement, but Locke has denied those reports.

In 1992, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury rejected a palimony suit brought against the estate of the late multimillionaire Henry T. Mudd by one of his seven mistresses.

Mudd, who co-founded Harvey Mudd College in Claremont in his father’s name, died in 1990, shortly after Eleanor (Lorraine) Oliver filed a lawsuit seeking $5 million for her “wifelike companionship.”

Cases that never quite paid off included a lawsuit filed against Merv Griffin, the popular talk show host and man behind television’s “Wheel of Fortune.” Former employee Brent Plott claimed in a lawsuit that he and Griffin were lovers, and Griffin promised to support him for life. He asked for $200 million.

Griffin said the claim was false, and it was later thrown out by a judge.

Playboy Playmate Carrie Leigh filed for palimony against Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, her lover of six years, but Leigh later married and dropped the suit.

Such cases are fascinating because, Goodman said, it’s “the seamy side of the lifestyles of the rich and famous.”

The most high-profile cases typically include rich and famous men and the women who fill the role of companion and homemaker, Goodman said. But Claire Maglica is different. She worked side by side with Anthony Maglica at their office, holds a top corporate position and helped build the business from the beginning.

The protections set out in the Marvin case extend to same-sex partners, but the line is drawn at sex for money, Goodman said.

“If the partner is a mistress, and the agreement was for sex, that’s not valid,” said Goodman, who is on the witness list in the Maglica case and refused to discuss the trial.

“They’re very difficult to prove, it’s basically her word against his, and that can be difficult,” Goodman said.

Noted San Francisco attorney Melvin Belli Sr. said that unwritten agreements, or understandings, between couples are are valid and should be honored--just as a marriage certificate.

“If they’re living together, if they’ve done everything but legally be married, its de facto,” Belli said.