February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Andrew Bushe
DUBLIN — "Lord of the Dance" star Michael Flatley and his former manager have settled their multi-million-pound London High Court case.
The 40-year-old heartthrob is expected to face a huge bill for legal fees as well as the cost of the settlement, which is understood to be "substantial."
Details of the agreement were not revealed in the court during a brief hearing on the eighth day of the action last Tuesday.
Manager John Reid, who also acted for singer Sir Elton John for years, had brought a claim for about £10 million against Flatley for repudiation of their management agreement.
In a counterclaim, Flatley, who was born in the U.S. of Irish parents, alleged deceit by Reid and was bringing a claim for negligence against his former lawyers.
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The court had been told how the cordial relationship between the former "Riverdance" star and Reid had gone sour after alleged violent incidents and Flatley’s unhappiness with his manager’s attempts to secure film deals and advance publicity for his "Lord of the Dance" show.
Flatley, who is estimated to be worth £60 million, had claimed he was entitled to dismiss Reid in a lawyer’s letter in January 1997.
The court had been told the dancer vomited after he became upset following a confrontation with his manager in his dressing room before a show in Wembley in London.