Douglas' ex loses bid for Wall Street earnings

Michael Douglas' ex-wife has lost a bid to cash in on the actor's earnings from his recent Wall Street follow-up.

A Manhattan judge dismissed Diandra Douglas's lawsuit against the Academy Award-winning actor in a ruling made public today.

The judge said the dispute does not belong in a New York court because the former couple's complex, multimillion-dollar divorce agreement was hashed out in California.

"After balancing all competing interests and factors, the California court is the more convenient forum for this matter to be tried," the judge wrote.

Michael Douglas -- who is now married to Catherine Zeta Jones -- was "very happy" with the New York lawsuit ruling, his lawyer said.

Diandra Douglas's lawyer said she planned to appeal. The couple divorced in 2000 after 23 years together.

Mrs Douglas's camp has said she should get half the actor's earnings from this year's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps because their divorce deal gives her a share of proceeds from projects related to work he did when they were married, such as the original Wall Street.

Douglas's lawyer said the actor's ex was misinterpreting the divorce agreement and that it did not apply to the Wall Street sequel, which was not on the horizon when the couple split.

hnews@herald.ie