Governor and Former Stuntwoman Settle Suit

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and a former Hollywood stuntwoman who had accused him of sexual harassment have reached a settlement, the governor’s lawyers said.

Under the agreement, Rhonda Miller will not appeal a judge’s dismissal of her libel suit against the governor, and Schwarzenegger will forgo collecting legal fees from Miller, said attorneys Marty Singer and Linda Goldman.

The dispute became public Oct. 6, the day before Schwarzenegger was elected governor. Miller held a news conference at which she accused him of twice accosting her.

She said he pulled up her shirt and suckled her breasts on the “Terminator 2” set in 1991 and fondled her breasts three years later during the filming of “True Lies.”

Miller said that over the years, she had considered suing Schwarzenegger, but it was only after he denied allegations of similar misconduct, reported by The Times, that she decided to go public with her accusations.

In addition to a categorical denial of Miller’s claims, Schwarzenegger’s campaign sent out an e-mail urging reporters to check her name on criminal records. The e-mail implied that Miller had a criminal background.

However, the records indicated that the Rhonda Miller who accused Schwarzenegger was not any of the Rhonda Millers who had felony convictions.

The former stuntwoman filed a libel suit against the governor, alleging that the e-mail had defamed her and made it difficult for her to find work.

On July 2, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert L. Hess dismissed Miller’s suit.

“The evidence before the court establishes that Mr. Schwarzenegger neither knew of nor approved the text of the disputed e-mail before it was sent,” the judge wrote.

Hess awarded Schwarzenegger the right to collect legal fees from Miller. Her attorney, Gloria Allred, vowed to appeal. But under the agreement announced Thursday, Schwarzenegger won’t collect the fees and Miller won’t appeal.

“The case has been resolved,” Allred said.