Randy Quaid drops ‘Brokeback’ lawsuit

Actor had sued producers saying he’d been cheated out of pay

Kim D. Johnson / AP

Randy Quaid's attorney said that the actor has dropped his suit against Focus Features and producers David Linde and James Schamus, which claimed he was fleeced into working cheaply by the filmmakers' assertion that "Brokeback Mountain" was "a low-budget, art-house film, with no prospect of making any money."

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updated 4:20 p.m. ET May 4, 2006

LOS ANGELES - “Brokeback Mountain” co-star Randy Quaid has dropped a lawsuit over his compensation for the Academy Award-winning film.

Quaid had sued Focus Features and producers David Linde and James Schamus in March, claiming he was fleeced into working cheaply by the filmmakers’ assertion that “Brokeback Mountain” was “a low-budget, art-house film, with no prospect of making any money.”

“Brokeback Mountain,” whose three Oscars included best director for Ang Lee, topped $82 million at the domestic box office.

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Quaid had been seeking at least $10 million. His publicist, Susan Madore, said Thursday that Quaid decided to drop the lawsuit after his lawyers told him Focus agreed to pay him a bonus, which he wants to split with other principal cast members.

Focus Features denied making any settlement with Quaid.

“The circumstances of him dropping the suit are as mysterious as the circumstances under which he filed his claim,” Focus spokeswoman Adriene Bowles said. “Focus Features never negotiated, offered or agreed to any settlement agreement with Mr. Quaid or his attorneys, but we are happy to put this behind us, and do wish [him] all the best.”

“Brokeback Mountain” features Quaid as a hard-nosed sheep rancher who hires Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal’s characters, two young cowboys who share a summer of love while tending the flock and then carry on a gay love affair for decades.