February 6, 2012 16:11

Phil Spector settles wrongful death lawsuit with Lana Clarkson's mother

Music producer and Donna Clarkson reach confidential agreement

Photo: PA Photos

Phil Spector has settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the mother of murder victim Lana Clarkson, according to reports.

BBC News says that the music producer, who was convicted for murdering Clarkson in 2003 two years ago, has reached an agreement with Donna Clarkson. Spector had originally tried to mount a defence against the lawsuit, but both he and Clarkson have now signed the settlement.

Although the terms of the deal are confidential, Clarkson's lawyer John Taylor told the LA Times:

Donna Clarkson is pleased and relieved that the civil matter is now over.

In December last year (December 16), it was reported that Spector had asked the US Supreme Court to review his murder conviction on the grounds that he was not given a fair trial, as Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler had offered his opinion on an expert witness' testimony.

Previously, the producer had been told last August by the California Supreme Court that he could not launch another appeal against the conviction. He originally appealed against the decision in 2010, when his legal team argued that the testimonies of five women who said that he had threatened them in the past were improperly used during the trial, but these claims were also rejected.

Spector was sentenced to 19 years in prison after being found guilty of Clarkson's murder in 2009. In July last year, it was reported that Al Pacino and Helen Mirren had signed on to portray Spector and Clarkson respectively, in a film for US TV network HBO.