Former lawyer: Sharif won't pay valet

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LOS ANGELES, July 10 (UPI) -- Egyptian actor Omar Sharif has no intention of paying a $445,000 civil judgment to the Beverly Hills, Calif., valet he smacked in 2005, his former lawyer said.

Sharif, the 76-year-old film star best known for his roles in the epics "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Doctor Zhivago," spent two years and tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees attempting to settle the civil lawsuit, then dismissed his lawyers and said he was representing himself, The Los Angeles Times said.

He then ignored the trial, and was informed of a default judgment, including a bill for the plaintiff Juan Ochoa Anderson's legal fees, which totaled $445,000.

"His position is that the judgment is never going to be collected," his former lawyer, Martin D. Singer, told The Times.

Sharif, an Egyptian citizen, has no assets in the United States and while Anderson, a Guatemalan immigrant who still works as a valet, can pursue Sharif's assets in Egypt, it would be difficult since a new trial would have to be held there.

The Times said Anderson and his lawyer, John C. Carpenter, didn't respond to requests for comment, while Sharif declined to comment on the case.

Sharif pleaded no contest in criminal court to misdemeanor battery in connection with the incident. He was sentenced to two years of probation and anger management classes.