SEAN CONNERY - CONNERY URGED TO SETTLE NEW YORK NEIGHBOUR DISPUTE

SIR SEAN CONNERY has come under fire by a Manhattan judge for his long-running feud with a neighbour over roof renovations at their shared New York townhouse. The veteran 007 star has been locked in a lengthy legal battle with Dr. Burton Sultan regarding repair work carried out on the upper East Side property, which the latter claims was of substandard quality. In a lawsuit filed in 2005, Sultan branded Connery a "foul mouthed, fat old man" and an "ogre" who blasted music at "all hours". The warring parties have been hitting back at one another with countersuit after countersuit, and Sultan has filed three separate cases against Connery and other neighbours involved in the dispute, claiming the poor renovations resulted in foul smells wafting into his apartment. He also alleges that a rat infestation caused by the repairs forced him and his wife to move out of their home. But both sides were fiercely condemned by Supreme Court Justice Marcy Friedman for their childish behaviour in a 17-page document made public on Wednesday (26Dec07). In the papers, Friedman writes, "Regrettably, both parties to this dispute have engaged in a 'slash and burn' litigation strategy that has at times been duplicative and exceedingly burdensome to their adversaries and the courts." However, Friedman refused to dismiss Sultan's latest lawsuit against Connery completely, instead urging them to settle their differences out of court, reports the New York Daily News.