LOS ANGELES – A woman who was Marlon Brando's caregiver in the last years of his life has agreed to settle a lawsuit for $125,000 that she had filed against his executors claiming she was a victim of fraud, deceit and a broken oral contract, according to court documents.
Angela Borlaza had sued producer Mike Medavoy and fellow executors Larry J. Dressler and Avra Douglas, accusing them of amending Brando's will 13 days before his death on July 1, 2004, that transferred power to them from the former trustees who were the actor's longtime advisers.
Borlaza had claimed Brando was too ill to sign anything, and suggested his signature was forged. She also alleged the co-executors had wrongly evicted her from the home that Brando had purchased for her in the San Fernando Valley.
She had sought proceeds from the sale of the home and $2 million in punitive damages.
According to papers filed Dec. 22 in the Brando estate probate case, Borlaza agreed through mediation to settle all claims for $125,000, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
Joel Pipes, an attorney for Borlaza, declined to discuss the terms of the settlement with the newspaper, saying only that the parties resolved the matter amicably.
Charles Larson, an attorney for the Brando estate, declined comment.
Borlaza said in the lawsuit that she was hired in 1995 as Brando's cook and eventually became the "major domo" of his residence and his personal assistant.
Brando died of lung failure in Los Angeles at age 80. His estate is said to be worth more than $20 million.
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