SAN JOSE, Calif. — A federal jury began considering Thursday whether a disabled woman deserves a "fistful of dollars" from Clint Eastwood because his hotel was not fully accessible to her wheelchair.
John Burris, the lawyer for Diane zum Brunnen, did not ask for a specific dollar amount. But he urged jurors not to excuse Eastwood from complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act and a similar California law because he's a celebrity.
"Mr. Eastwood is a very special man, no question about it," Burris said, gesturing across the courtroom toward the actor-director who's been in court every day since the trial began Sept. 19. "I believe he thinks as a matter of principle he is entitled to special consideration from you."
Burris said Eastwood spent millions renovating his Mission Ranch near Carmel but neglected to spend a "fistful of dollars" to improve disabled access, a reference to the first of the "spaghetti Westerns" Eastwood starred in.
Eastwood attorney Chuck Keller used the same reference, accusing zum Brunnen and her husband of visiting Mission Ranch merely to find grounds for a lawsuit.
"Make no bones about it," Keller said. "That's why the plaintiff is here, and that's why you're being asked to decide this case: Because she, and those who represent her, want a fistful of dollars."
The jury deliberated for about four hours Thursday and resumed its work Friday morning.
Zum Brunnen, 51, has muscular dystrophy. She sued Eastwood in 1997, a year after she and her husband, Michael, say they had dinner at Mission Ranch.
The couple complained that the wheelchair-accessible bathroom was in another building, more than 200 feet away, across a driveway; the only accessible guest room was $225 a night, when other rooms were as low as $85; and there was no ramp to the main office.
Eastwood, 70, said he should have been told about the problems so he could fix them instead of being sued. The zum Brunnens testified they sent two letters to Eastwood after a previous visit in 1995 to complain about the disparity in room rates but got no answer.
Eastwood bought Mission Ranch, a former dairy farm with buildings dating to the 1850s, in 1987 for $4.2 million so that it would not be developed into condominiums. He testified that his renovations have tried to ensure disabled access while preserving the ranch's historic character.
Eastwood resisted settling the case and has repeatedly said that such lawsuits are more about attorneys' greed than concern for the disabled.
"We all know this is about — cash," Eastwood said outside court Thursday, theatrically whispering and elongating the final word.