LOS ANGELES - A former assistant to Marlon Brando has sued the executors of the late actor's estate for more than $US2 million ($NZ3.34 million) claiming she was cheated out of a home she says Brando promised to give to her.
The suit, filed on behalf of Angela Borlaza late
in Los Angeles Superior Court late on Friday, alleges she was evicted from the house by executors Mike Medavoy and Larry Dressler who isolated Brando while he was still alive to gain control of his estate after he died.
The Oscar-winning actor, known for roles in movies like On the Waterfront and The Godfather, died in July 2004. Since then, several former associates have filed claims against his estate.
Borlaza's suit also provides some detailed insight into the actor's final days, saying he suffered from several diseases including pulmonary fibrosis, according to a published report.
Borlaza, who began working for the actor in 1995 and became his executive assistant, claims in her suit that as his health worsened, the two verbally agreed that before he died he would buy her a home.
She moved into the house in 2002 and he bought it through a corporate entity he controlled, but the title was never transferred to Borlaza, according to the lawsuit.
Neither Medavoy nor Dressler could be reached for comment.
In December 2004, Brando's former business manager, Jo An Corrales, filed a $US3.5 million claim against the estate alleging the actor sexually harassed her. Other claims included one by a Tahitian airline that alleged Brando owed it money, and another by a friend seeking reimbursement for a ring she claimed she had lost at his Hollywood Hills home.
- REUTERS
