Clint Eastwood settles 'wife beater' libel action
Clint Eastwood has settled a libel case against the writer and publisher of an unauthorised biography he said portrayed the Hollywood star as a wife beater.
As part of the settlement, the book’s author and publisher agreed to remove a reference to Eastwood beating his former wife, Maggie, as well as other statements the actor-director said were false and defamatory.
Eastwood filed the €9.2m libel action in 2002 against Patrick McGilligan, who wrote Clint: The Life And Legend. Eastwood also sued the book’s publisher, St Martin’s Press.
The suit, filed in San Jose federal court, said McGilligan wrote that Eastwood, who won the best director Oscar for the film Unforgiven, “cold-cocked” and “decked” his first wife.
A former associate of Eastwood told McGilligan in a tape-recorded interview that he saw the actor physically abuse his former wife.
The associate later recanted his remarks in a sworn affidavit.
