Big Mel Gibson News....No, Not That

Star resolves $10 million battle over The Passion of the Christ, can now focus on his personal affairs

Mel Gibson has one less headache to deal with now.

The Oscar winner has managed to avoid a potentially embarrassing trial and settled a lawsuit filed by the screenwriter of Gibson's hugely successful The Passion of the Christ.

Benedict Fitzgerald had claimed he was seriously underpaid by Gibson and producers for the 2004 hit that grossed more than $600 million theatrically worldwide, and the scribe was seeking a minimum of $10 million in make-good money. Jury selection was set for June 3.

But in a three-page filing obtained by E! News, Team Mel on Friday asked the judge to scrap the trial, announcing a settlement had been agreed to but still needed to be formalized. Terms of the deal remain confidential.

Gibson's lawyers now must turn their focus to his pending showdown with estranged wife Robyn, who is angling for a chunk of his sizable fortune.

There was no comment from the actor's publicist—either on the lawsuit settlement or the day's other burning Gibson mystery: whether current gal-pal Oksana Grigorieva is pregnant, as claimed by TMZ and the National Enquirer.

______

Follow us on Twitter @eonline and get our free iPhone app