Stern, Production Company Settle Suit

Controversial radio talk show host Howard Stern settled a lawsuit Monday against a Hollywood production company that he claimed had hired him to co-star in a movie that was never made.

Details of the out-of-court settlement were being kept confidential, a Los Angeles Superior Court spokesman said. Lawyers in the case were not immediately available for comment.

Stern, known for the risque material presented on his New York-based syndicated talk show, sued Ministry of Film Inc., claiming he had been hired to co-star in a movie opposite Melanie Griffith.

His lawsuit, filed in October 1997, said the production company had failed to come up with enough money to make the film, which was to have been titled “Jane.” Stern was asking for an unspecified amount of money. Jury selection was about to start when the settlement was announced.

According to the lawsuit, Stern, who starred in his own autobiographical film, “Private Parts,” signed a contract with Ministry of Film in July 1997 and the movie had been scheduled to start shooting in August of that year.