Case Was Within Hours Of Opening Arguments 

Legendary pilot Chuck Yeager and his wife Victoria have reached a settlement agreement with a California law firm over what the firm said were unpaid legal bills.

Yeager, now 91, and his 55-year-old second wife had been accused by the Fresno, CA law firm of Wild, Carter, & Tipton of leaving some $270,000 in legal bills on the table after representing the Yeagers in several legal battles over the past several years. The Fresno Bee reports that the Yeagers claimed that the firm was doing the work pro bono, and had countersued the firm for legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary responsibility.

Earlier this month, just hours before jurors were to hear opening arguments in the case, the two sides reached a settlement. The terms of that agreement were not disclosed.

Yeager has been involved in multiple lawsuits over the past several years he says to protect his name against unauthorized use.

Meanwhile, a second judge has ruled that the Yeagers owe over $43,000 in fees to the homeowners association at Park River Oak Estates in Sacramento, CA, where the couple owns two townhomes.

The Sacramento Bee reports that the ruling stems from a 2008 lawsuit filed by the association. Superior Court Judge Judy H. Hersher ruled that the Yeagers owed the money for services performed on their units and benefits received over the past eight years.

Yeager's attorney Michael Thomas said that the ruling was "exactly the outcome we predicted," and that Yeager was pleased with the decision.

(2012 image from file)

FMI: www.fresno.courts.ca.gov