Actor Tobey Maguire has settled a lawsuit relating to his high-stakes poker winnings, according to multiple U.S. reports.
A bankruptcy trustee named the Spider-Man star in a lawsuit in March (11), alleging he won over $300,000 (£187,500) from disgraced investor Bradley Ruderman, who is serving a 10-year federal prison sentence for tax and wire fraud.
The plaintiff claimed Maguire's windfall at a series of unlicensed poker games in 2007 and 2008 came from funds stolen from investors who had been lured into an illegal Ponzi scheme by Ruderman.
The actor fired back with a countersuit, arguing that he should not have to hand back any winnings because he lost just as much money to Ruderman as he won from the convicted hedge fund manager.
The case was expected to go to trial at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles at the end of January (12), but now it looks as if Maguire is keen to settle after agreeing to pay $80,000 (£50,000) to the estate of Ruderman, according to CNN.
A judge has called a hearing for 21 December (11), when he will decide whether or not to approve the settlement.
Actor Gabe Kaplan, who was also among the celebrities sued for the Ruderman cash, reached a similar settlement with the bankruptcy trustees in August (11) and agreed to repay $27,000 (£16,900).