Lawyers want end to Brando case

Brando said the order was "gutter served"

Lawyers acting for Hollywood actor Marlon Brando are to asking for a lawsuit brought by his former maid be thrown out of court.

Mr Brando's former maid Maria Cristina Ruiz, 44, is claiming $100m (£63.3m) to help bring up three children the actor fathered with her.

His lawyers said they would ask a Los Angeles judge to dismiss the case when he presides over a forthcoming court hearing concerning custody of the children.

Ms Ruiz claims she had a 13-year relationship with the actor, and that he fathered three children aged 14, 11 and nine.

She says the 79-year-old, who starred in films such as On The Waterfront and The Godfather, had promised to look after her during the relationship, and that he would "divide equally any income and property acquired" during their time together.

According to papers filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court, she said she had "devoted all aspects of her life to Brando's needs, the interests of their children, [and] his personal interests and well-being, to the exclusion of her own."

Her lawyer, Donald Woldman, said the relationship, which ended in 2001, was "just like a marriage, except without the ring".

'Broke'

But Mr Brando said the order was "gutter served" - claiming the only relationship the pair had was sexual.

He also claims that he is broke. Despite earning over $8,000 (£5,220) a month, he said he had to pay lawyer's fees from earlier court cases.

The actor spent much of his money defending his son Christian in 1991, after he killed his half-sister Cheyenne's lover. He was found guilty and spent five years in prison.

Cheyenne committed suicide in 1995.