LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Paramount studio chief Brad Grey acknowledged links to a private detective at the center of a Hollywood wiretapping scandal but said he was unaware of crimes allegedly committed by the sleuth, a court heard on Thursday.
Grey said private eye Anthony Pellicano had been recruited by Hollywood super-lawyer Bert Fields to assist in two civil lawsuits filed against his production company, before he took over as Paramount chief executive.
However Grey told Pellicano's federal racketeering trial in Los Angeles on Thursday that he had no knowledge of the sleuth's activities.
Fields, a famed attorney who has represented stars including Tom Cruise and John Travolta, held Pellicano "in very high regard," Grey told the court after being called as a prosecution witness.
"I understand Mr Fields had used the services of Mr Pellicano many times before that," he added, adding that he was not involved in the day-to-day proceedings of either case.
"Lawsuits were left to our attorneys," he said.
Fields hired Pellicano to help in two civil cases lodged against Grey, including a 100-million-dollar suit filed by comedian Garry Shandling in 1998 over proceeds from "The Larry Sanders Show."
Prosecutors have charged Pellicano and four co-defendants on 107 federal charges, accusing them of illegally wiretapping clients and legal adversaries. The five men have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Pellicano is alleged to have paid a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant to run dozens of unauthorized background checks on law enforcement databases on Shandling and Vincent Zenga, who had sued Grey to demand a screenwriting credit for the 2000 hit film "Scary Movie."
Pellicano is also alleged to have wiretapped Zenga's telephone conversations with his attorneys during his legal battle with Grey.
Grey and Shandling have since settled their case while a judge dismissed Zenga's lawsuit and found in favor of Grey.
The case continues.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
