NEW YORK – Michael Douglas' ex-wife has lost a bid to revive her quest for half his "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" earnings in a New York court, ending the latest episode in a bitter sequel to their multimillion-dollar divorce.
A Manhattan judge reiterated in a ruling Thursday that the cash clash belongs in California, where the couple divorced in 2000 after 23 years together. Cooper threw out Diandra Douglas's suit for the same reasons in November, but she asked him to reconsider.
"This court adheres to its original decision holding that the California court has exclusive jurisdiction over this dispute" since a provision in their divorce deal says so, state Supreme Court Justice Matthew F. Cooper wrote.
Even before the decision, Diandra Douglas had filed a notice that she plans to appeal to a higher court. Still, Michael Douglas' lawyer, Marilyn Chinitz, said she hoped Cooper's ruling "would be the last of it."
His ex-wife's lawyer, Nancy Chemtob, didn't immediately respond to email messages this week.
The couple's divorce deal gives Diandra Douglas an equal share of spin-offs from projects the actor did when they were married.
She says that should include last year's follow-up to "Wall Street," the 1987 Oliver Stone film that won Michael Douglas an Academy Award for his portrayal of an era-encapsulating financier who declared that "greed is good." The actor's camp says the divorce agreement doesn't apply to the second "Wall Street," which wasn't in the works when the couple split. Released in September, it grossed more than $100 million worldwide.
The legal fight has taken on a sharper tone as it continued. At a hearing in April, the actor's lawyer noted his recent fight with throat cancer and said his ex "should be ashamed of herself" for seeking more money when she's gotten more than $51 million from him in the divorce and her stake in some earnings afterward.
Her lawyers, meanwhile, mentioned his recent purchase of a $5 million-plus home near New York and his children's private schools. Outside court, Diandra Douglas lamented the "mudslinging" she felt was directed at her.
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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