HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Morgan Freeman has reached an out-of-court settlement with the woman traveling with him at the time of his near-fatal car accident last year in Mississippi, court records revealed Thursday. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Passenger Demaris Meyer sued Freeman in February for the August 2008 crash, accusing the Academy Award-winning actor of negligence. She retained famed attorney Gloria Allred for the case.
Freeman was driving Meyer's car when the vehicle went off the road and rolled over several times before coming to a stop. Emergency crews used the jaws of life to remove both Freeman and Meyer, who had to be airlifted to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis, Tenn.
Meyer's injuries included a broken left wrist, right scapula and a torn labrum.
"The accident and its aftermath has literally changed my life in every respect," Meyer said upon filing the suit. "I sustained numerous injuries. I was unconscious following the accident ... I could not take care of myself for several months. I have not been able to go back to work and still am suffering both physically and emotionally as a result of the accident."
Freeman suffered his own injuries in the crash, including a broken arm, broken elbow and minor shoulder damage.
Just days after the accident, Freeman announced that he was divorcing his wife, costumer Myrna Colley-Lee, after 24 years of marriage. At the time the split was announced, Freeman's attorney and business partner, Bill Luckett, told Access Hollywood that the couple had been apart for some time, but there was much speculation about the Oscar winner's relationship with Meyer.
When she announced her suit, Meyer explained that she had been invited to a dinner party at the Bayou Bend Golf and Country Club by Luckett, which in turn led to her meeting Freeman. Meyer called Freeman a "perfect gentleman" and said they were traveling together the night of the crash because he had invited her to stay at a house on his property to save her from a long drive in the morning.
"I have been labeled as the other woman and have been accused of having caused the breakup of Mr. Freeman's marriage," said Meyer. "Nothing could be further from the truth. I had hoped and prayed that Mr. Freeman or his representatives would have set the record straight and cleared my name, but they have not done so and that is why I have chosen to come forward to tell the truth about our relationship."
Freeman, who lives in Mississippi, won an Academy Award for the 2004 film "Million Dollar Baby," in which he starred alongside Hilary Swank and Clint Eastwood. Other notable film credits include "The Shawshank Redemption," "Driving Miss Daisy" and "The Dark Knight."
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