Appeals court upholds Blake ruling

LOS ANGELES, April 27 (UPI) -- A 2005 civil court verdict holding U.S. actor Robert Blake liable for the shooting death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, was correct, an appeals court has ruled.

The appellate court upheld the verdict against the former "Beretta" star, but significantly reduced the related damages Blake was ordered to pay in relation to Bakley's 2002 death, TMZ.com reported Saturday.

While Blake was acquitted of all criminal charges, a civil court jury ordered him to pay $30 million in damages. The appeals court ruled the damage amount was too high and cut the jury award to $15 million.

TMZ.com said that figure could increase to $24 million once interested in applied.

Los Angeles police had suspected Blake had attempted to hire two retired stuntmen on separate occasions to kill his wife.