Both sides claimed victory Tuesday in the long-standing legal battle between Denver billionaire Philip An schutz and author Clive Cussler over the film “Sahara.”
A Los Angeles jury ordered Cussler, author of the Dirk Pitt adventure novels, to pay Anschutz’s Crusader Entertainment $5 million for breach of contract on the film, which was widely considered a financial flop.
But Cussler’s lawyers said the jury also recommended that Crusader, now called Bristol Bay Productions, honor a previous commitment to pay Cussler $8.5 million for the film rights to a second book.
“We’re feeling good about it,” Anschutz spokesman Jim Monaghan said. “This is a situation where a movie was made that lost a significant amount of money. One of the few people who made money on it was Clive Cussler, who after having made $10 million off the movie, had the audacity to sue Crusader for $100 million.”
Bertram Fields, Cussler’s Los Angeles lawyer, said the author came out $3.5 million ahead.
“He’s absolutely thrilled,” Fields said. “It’s a very unhappy day for Mr. Anschutz, who probably spent about $25 million to try and punish Mr. Cussler.”
Monaghan said Tuesday that a judge will review Crusader’s obligation on the second book at a later hearing.
Cussler sued Crusader in 2004, claiming the company reneged on an agreement that gave him the right to approve the film’s screenplay.
Crusader countersued, accusing Cussler of inflating the numbers of copies of his books sold, clashing with screenwriters brought in to work on the script and of publicly criticizing the movie before its release. The company asked for more than $110 million in damages.
“Sahara,” starring Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz, cost more than $130 million to make and lost more than $65 million, according to Anschutz’s suit. It was released in 2005.
The original deal called for Anschutz’s entertainment company to pay Cussler $10 million per book for the rights to two novels.
The trial, which featured testimony from producers, screenwriters, lawyers and Cussler, lasted for 14 weeks. Jurors deliberated for eight days before coming to a verdict Tuesday.
“I’m greatly relieved it’s over,” Cussler said of the trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court. “I think I’m happy just to go home and take up my life again.”
Anschutz, founder of Denver-based telecom Qwest, has built an entertainment conglomerate that includes two movie production companies, several professional sports teams, venues, concert promotion and the world’s largest theater chain.
The Associated Press and Los Angeles Times contributed to this report.
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-954-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
