Updated

A celebrated pilot who was the first person to break the sound barrier has avoided a courtroom battle in Central California over claims he owed thousands in unpaid legal bills.

The Fresno Bee reports that 91-year-old Chuck Yeager and his 55-year-old wife, Victoria, reached a settlement on Tuesday with a Fresno law firm just as jurors were set to hear opening arguments in the case.

The terms of the settlement weren't revealed. The firm, Wild, Carter & Tipton, accused the Yeagers of skipping out on about $270,000 in bills. The Yeagers countersued for legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty.

Yeager was a World War II pilot. In 1947, he became the first person to break the sound barrier.

He and his wife have been involved in numerous lawsuits.