Mel Gibson has been ordered by a judge to answer questions in court about “The Passion of the Christ” in response to a screenwriter's lawsuit.
An LA judge Gregory Alarcon said that Gibson has to appear for a deposition by mid-January to answer questions about planning and filming the movie in response to the lawsuit.
Benedict Fitzgerald is suing Gibson, who directed the controversial religious epic, over accusations he cheated the screenwriter out of millions of dollars in potential earnings. He claims Gibson engaged in a “chronic and conspiratorial pattern of deceit” by telling him he was working on a project with a budget of between $4 million and $7 million. Fitzgerald alleges he was only paid $75,000 and that he had to borrow $200,000 from Gibson to cover expenses. The Passion Of The Christ went on to gross an estimated $600 million worldwide.
Gibson's attorneys had tried to keep their client from having to answer questions about the award-winning film.
