Mel Gibson's Passion Profits Covered

Judge grants Mel's motion requesting his financials be kept sealed while he fights lawsuit brought by "Passion" scribe

Just how much it cost to turn the The Passion of the Christ into the eventual cash cow it became is going to remain a secret.

A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday approved Mel Gibson's motion to keep his financials under wraps as he fights a fraud lawsuit filed in February by the scribe who cowrote the Passion screenplay.

The info will be kept sealed and will only be available to Gibson's and plaintiff Benedict Fitzgerald's lawyers. Fitzgerald claims he was cheated out of his rightful cut of the loot because Gibson assured him it would be a low-budget feature and that he himself wouldn't be taking any proceeds until all the cast and crew had been paid.

Gibson's crew, meanwhile is looking to have six out of the nine allegations against him, including the fraud claim, dismissed. A hearing on the motion is scheduled for June 20.