Tippi Hedren wins court battle against her former lawyer

A California appeals court has affirmed a nearly $1.5 million judgment in actress Tippi Hedren's favor, the Hollywood Reporter said. "The Birds" star sued her former lawyer, Joseph Allen, for malpractice for the money she reasonably could have expected to have recovered in an unsuccessful lawsuit they brought against the owner of a sound-stage where she was injured in 2006. Hedren, 83, argued the attorney botched the case by filing paperwork too late. The actress was hurt when a gallon of water fell from the ceiling onto her head at Stu Segall Studios in San Diego while she was rehearsing for a scene in the TV show "Fashion House." The Reporter said a jury returned a verdict totaling $1,483,708. Allen filed a motion for a new trial, which was denied, and an appeal was made on the basis the judge should have instructed the jury on superseding causation. However, an appeals court ruled in Hedren's favor and Allen must now pay her the nearly $1.5 million she sought, the entertainment industry trade newspaper said.