Burton Denies Duping Lisa Marie

Tim Burton has denied allegations from his ex-girlfriend Lisa Marie that he had tricked her out of promised assets after the two broke up, eonline.com reports.

"The suggestion made by [Lisa Marie] that I engaged in any conduct which was calculated to deceive her...is completely false and completely ludicrous," Burton says in a seven-page court declaration filed Thursday, April 24th, 2008.

Lisa Marie, who appeared in several of Burton's films, sued the director in 2006 for fraud and breach of fiduciary contract, alleging he cheated her out of an equitable division of their accumulated property. Burton and Marie ended their 10-year relationship in 2001, when Burton met actress Helena Bonham Carter.

Lisa Marie claims that the filmmaker agreed to bankroll her for life in exchange for serving as his personal manager and acting in his films, the article stated. The article went on to say that Marie's suit seeks to rescind three previous legal settlements between them, accusing Burton of orchestrating a conspiracy theory—getting various friends and counselors, including her own lawyer, to convince her into accepting a smaller payout.

Burton denies the accuracy of these charges. "Allegations that I did, or intended to do, anything illegal, unethical or improper to cause [her] to sign agreements are complete fabrications," he states in his affidavit.

Barry King/WiredImage.com

The director says he went to great lengths to reach an amicable settlement, selling two apartment buildings he owned in New York and borrowing $3.5 million to pay her. He also claims to have gave $715,000 to the IRS in gift taxes for one of his payments to her.

"My goal was to provide [Lisa Marie] with sufficient resources to permit [her] to take care of herself for the rest of her life, and had nothing whatsoever to do with any legal obligation," his statement says.

Burton's lawyer, Joseph Mannis, also wants the complaint thrown out: "We believe that the lawsuit is frivolous and have filed a motion for summary judgment," says Mannis. "Mr. Burton believes he was very generous in the amount of money he gave her and does not believe he owes her more.

"Mr. Burton also doesn't believe he did anything wrong."



The next hearing in the case is set for July 14th, 2008.

Lisa Marie Told to Revise Lawsuit Against Tim Burton

The Associated Press has reported that, on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007, Tim Burton's ex-girlfriend, Lisa Marie, was told to revise her lawsuit against the director. The article went into detail, saying, "a judge ruled it didn't sufficiently support claims that Burton had backed out of a promise to financially support her. " Marie sued in December 2006, alleging that Burton used fraud to "cheat her out of assets he promised to share with her during their nearly 10-year, live-in relationship." Burton's attorneys said that the director already gave Marie $5 million to sign the contract, "which released him from any further claims to his assets." The judge stated that Marie and her attorneys have ten days to revise the action.



Marie was in four of Burton's films: Ed Wood (1994), Mars Attacks (1996), Sleepy Hollow (1999), and Planet of the Apes (2001).




Photo provided by the Associated Press. This picture was taken at the 47th International Film Festival in Berlin on Saturday, February 22nd, 1997, during a press conference for Mars Attacks.