Legal Eagle Eats Crowe

Russell Crowe’s telephonic tussle with Mercer Hotel concierge Nestor Estrada could have been settled with a simple handshake, we hear—if it wasn’t for the star’s hothead lawyer. In the days following the June 6 incident, one of the producers behind Cinderella Man arranged to have Estrada join Crowe for his June 8 Letterman appearance, says a source close to the project: “Crowe would offer his apology to Nestor, they would shake hands and make nice for a few precious TV moments, and all would be right in the world.”

But Crowe’s attorney, Gerald Lefcourt, refused to let his client take the easy way out. Instead, he advised Crowe’s publicist, Robin Baum, to deny that the phone hit Estrada—a move that engendered enough bad press to hamstring the actor’s critically lauded boxing flick. Days later, when Estrada and his lawyer, Eric Franz, again suggested the pair shake hands, “Lefcourt went crazy,” says our source. “He just about told Nestor to go screw himself. It made no sense.”

Another source close to the case says “[Crowe’s] lawyer is out of his mind. Maybe he just likes the press and wants to be in the press.” Apparently Lefcourt, who did not return calls for comment, also wants to be in court. Estrada’s lawyer tells Radar, “There’s been no resolution to the matter, and I’m in the process of filing a complaint. I’m curious to see what Mr. Crowe has to say on the witness stand when his publicist isn’t scripting comments for him.” We’d love to speculate, but Fresh Intelligence is a family column.

Photo: NYDN