Jury Sides with Clint

By Stephen M. Silverman

07/20/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Clint Eastwood could breathe easier over the weekend. On Friday a California jury decided against a disabled woman who sued the star after she had accused him of failing to provide wheelchair access at a hotel he owns in Carmel, Calif. "I think the jury did the right thing," Eastwood, 70, told reporters. "Naturally, the losing side will feel otherwise. That's human nature." Plaintiff Diane zum Brunnen, 51, who suffers with muscular dystrophy and gets around in a wheelchair, had sued Eastwood under the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act. She charged that he had failed to provide wheelchair ramps at his Mission Ranch Inn. But after deliberating for nearly four hours, the five-man, three-woman jury found Eastwood liable for only two minor infractions, the lack of enough signs indicating location of restrooms and failure to provide ramp access to the hotel's main offices. No damages were awarded.