George Harrison's Lawsuit Tossed By Judge

A Missouri judge threw out a George Harrison lawsuit, which could have made him $11 million, claiming that Harrison faked a life-threatening illness to "fool" the court. In 1996, Harrison won the big suit against his former business manager and partner, Dennis O'Brien, for mishandling his money. O'Brien had been his business manager since 1973 and his partner in HandMade Films, which produced "Monty Python's Life of Brian."

The complicated scenario includes that O'Brien filed for bankruptcy in St. Louis, and Harrison sued to try to stop it. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Barry Schermer ordered Harrison to give a disposition on the case on June 10, but Harrison's lawyers said he was too sick to travel, citing his recent bouts with cancer and his hospitalizations.

The judge however did not buy the excuse. He ruled that the excuse of being ill was "designed to fool this court." The defendant's lawyers pleaded that the former Beatle was not too ill to travel from Italy to Rhode Island on June 9 (the day before the deposition was due) to attend his son's college graduation.

Harrison's lawyers will go back to court next week to overturn the court's decision.