Van Damme Victor in Clash

05/27/1999 at 12:00 AM EDT

A martial-arts expert has been denied a rematch with Jean-Claude Van Damme. On Friday, a Superior Court judge rejected Frank Dux's request for a new trial in his breach-of-contract suit against the movie star. In November, a jury dismissed Dux's claims that "The Quest," a 1991 movie that Van Damme directed and starred in, was similar to the manuscript "Enter the New Dragon: The Kumite," which they both wrote. Dux sought $1.5 million.