Mel Gibson has appealed to a Los Angeles judge to grant a privacy motion in his legal battle with the co-screenwriter of The Passion of the Christ, in a bid to keep financial records about the 2004 film secret.

Benedict Fitzgerald is suing Gibson, who directed the controversial religious epic, over accusations he cheated the screenwriter out of millions of dollars in potential earnings.

He claims Gibson engaged in a “chronic and conspiratorial pattern of deceit” by telling him he was working on a project with a budget of between $4 million and $7 million.

Fitzgerald alleges he was only paid $75,000 and that he had to borrow $200,000 from Gibson to cover expenses. The Passion of the Christ went on to gross an estimated $600 million worldwide.

In a court motion filed on Tuesday, lawyers working for Gibson and his Icon Productions company–which is also named as a defendant–are seeking to seal the movie’s financial information, and only allow Fitzgerald’s attorneys access to them.

Gibson’s appeal comes just days after he filed papers asking a judge to dismiss the fraud allegations filed against him by Fitzgerald.

The two parties are due to meet in court for a hearing on June 20.

Source: Hollywood

Mel Gibson has filed legal papers asking a judge to dismiss a fraud allegation filed in a recent lawsuit by the co-screenwriter of his religious epic The Passion of the Christ.

In his lawsuit, Benedict Fitzgerald claimed Gibson, who directed the controversial 2004 film, engaged in a “chronic and conspiratorial pattern of deceit” by telling him he was working on a project with a budget of between $4 million and $7 million (GBP2 million and GBP3.5 million).

Fitzgerald claims he was only paid $75,000 (GBP37,500) and that he had to borrow $200,000 (GBP100,000) from Gibson to cover expenses. The Passion Of The Christ went on to gross an estimated $600 million (GBP300 million) worldwide. However, in legal documents filed on Tuesday, Gibson claims Fitzgerald had to know The Passion Of The Christ’s budget due to the extensive publicity the film attracted.

The actor/director, who is named as a defendant alongside his Icon Productions company, also claims Fitzgerald waited too long to file his suit and hasn’t offered an adequate explanation for the delay. A hearing is set for 20 June (08).

Source: Contact Music

The man who wrote the movie The Passion of the Christ is suing Mel Gibson, claiming the director short-changed him by saying it would be a small film — and not the big budget, big bucks flick it turned out to be.

According to papers filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court, Benedict Fitzgerald claims that Gibson’s “personal gift to his faith” was to have a budget in the $4-7 million range — and there wouldn’t be a lot of money in the budget for the writer. He was also told several times by Gibson, he claims, that Gibson didn’t plan to make any money from the film.

Instead, according to court documents, the flick cost almost $30 mil and Gibson made a fortune. The film grossed over $600 mil worldwide. Fitzgerald is suing for fraud and asking for damages in excess of $25,000.

Reps for the Mel’s production company, Icon Productions, say the suit is “frivolous” and that Fitzgerald was “handsomely compensated.”

Source: TMZ

MEL GIBSON stands accused of fraud, breach of contract and unfair business practices in a lawsuit filed by the co-screenwriter of his religious epic THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST.

Benedict Fitzgerald accuses Gibson, who directed the controversial 2004 film, of engaging in a “chronic and conspiratorial pattern of deceit” by telling the writer he was working on a project with a budget of between $4 million (GBP2 million) and $7 million (GBP3.5 million).

Fitzgerald claims he was only paid $75,000 (GBP37,500) and that he had to borrow $200,000 (GBP100,000) from Gibson to cover expenses, reports People.com. The Passion Of The Christ went on to gross an estimated $600 million (GBP300 million) worldwide.

The lawsuit, filed on Monday, reads: “Gibson preyed monetarily on Ben, taking advantage of his unbridled enthusiasm for the project and with full cognizance of Ben’s fundamental personal and spiritual beliefs.”

Source: Contact Music