Entertainer, hotel settle

Tuesday, April 9, 2002 | 11:11 a.m.

Michael Crawford, the former star of EFX, has settled his lawsuit against the MGM Grand.

According to court records, the terms of the settlement, which has yet to be signed by all parties, are confidential.

Crawford left the show in August 1996 because of a hip injury that required surgery in December 1996. He learned then that the injuries suffered while working on "EFX" were extensive and required a hip replacement, according to court documents.

Crawford, who parlayed his stardom in Broadway's "Phantom of the Opera" into a $150,000-a-week role in the "EFX" production, sued the resort in January 1998.

But because the injuries were alleged to have occurred well before Crawford left the show, attorneys for the MGM Grand argued during a court hearing in 1999 that he missed the two-year deadline for filing legal action by six months.

Crawford's lawyers countered that the eventual hip replacement surgery was caused by "repetitive trauma" suffered over performances.

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