Steven Seagal Is...Out for Settlement

Fading action hero reaches out-of-court deal with former producing pal over scuttled project

By Josh Grossberg Jan 07, 2008 10:36 PMTags

He might have been Above the Law onscreen, but when it comes to lawsuits, Steven Seagal is down with settling.

The faded action hero has reached an out-of-court deal in the $60 million civil action filed against him by his former producing partner, Julius Nasso. Nasso, who previously served time in prison for a shakedown plot against Seagal involving the Gambino crime family, had sued the actor for pulling out of a contract for four movies.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

But according to the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the settlement, sources familiar with the talks said Nasso agreed to drop claims against the 56-year-old star in exchange for a $500,000 payment.

Additionally, both men reportedly consented to cut all ties with each other, and the Out for Justice cop promised to write a letter supporting Nasso's bid for a presidential pardon to expunge the extortion conviction from his record.

Nasso produced some of Seagal's early, big-grossing flicks, including 1990's Marked For Death, 1991's Out for Justice and 1995's Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. But following the disappointing box-office reception  of latter films, like 1994's On Deadly Ground, 1996's The Glimmer Man and 1997's Fire Down Below, Warner Bros. decided to end its development deal with the duo. Their relationship soon soured, and Seagal dissolved the partnership.

A former Brooklyn pharmacist who was once neighbors and best friends with Seagal before the latter hit it big in Hollywood, Nasso sued the martial-arts maestro in 2002, accusing Seagal of breaching a contract to develop, produce and promote a slate of films.

By that time, Seagal's stock in Tinseltown was way down, with blockbusters like 1992's Under Siege giving way to direct-to-DVD clunkers like 2004's Out of Reach.

Seagal, however, wasn't out of sight.

The actor—who countered he never entered into an agreement with his old acquaintance—had become mixed up in an FBI probe of disgraced Hollywood private eye Anthony Pellicano. The feds were trying to determine whether Seagal had hired Pellicano to intimidate two reporters to stop writing unfavorable stories.

He was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.

Three months after Nasso sued the ponytailed tough guy, Nasso was arrested by the feds and charged with hiring the Mafia to make Seagal pay up.

The FBI came across the extortion plot after Nasso was purportedly recorded in an Italian restaurant urging Gambino crime family enforcer Anthony "Sonny" Ciccone to bully Seagal.

During Nasso's trial, Seagal took the stand and told how he feared for his life after being confronted by some mobsters ordering him to renew his business relationship with Nasso.

In a 2003 plea deal, Nasso copped to one count of extortion conspiracy. He was sentenced to one year in federal lockup and fined $75,000.

Seagal's attorney, Martin Singer, declined immediate comment on the settlement. Seagal himself is working on a movie in Hawaii and was unavailable to discuss the deal. No doubt he's glad to have the mess behind him.

Over the weekend, Nasso told the Times that he was happy with the arrangement.

"I'm glad it's behind us. I wish him the best," the producer said.