Sir Christopher Lee has had his assets frozen by a Spanish judge and ordered him to hand over $960,000 (£640,000) to an illustrator who accused the veteran actor of failing to pay him for work on a DVD.
Gerardo Moreno filed suit against the Lord of the Rings star alleging he was owed money for creating artwork for the home release of Lee's 1998 film Jinnah, which starred the actor as Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan.
Moreno claimed he designed and illustrated the DVD cover ahead of its 2004 release, and was paid for a digital illustration but not for other work on interactive content used on the recording.
The judge overseeing the case, Jose Maria Tapia Lopez, ruled against Lee and his associates on Monday (22Mar10) and ordered the 87 year old's assets to be frozen to the value of $960,000 (£640,000) until the money is paid, according to Spanish publication El Pais.
The actor has enjoyed a career that has spanned over sixty years and seen him appear in movies such as Dracula, The Wicker Man and The Lord of the Rings.
Lee is currently voicing the Jabberwocky in Tim Birton's latest movie Alice In Wonderland but will be back on the big screen in Season of the Witch with Nicolas Cage.
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