Hollywood star George Clooney appeared on Friday in a real-life courtroom drama when testified before a judge in Milan about three people accused of unauthorised use of his name for a fashion label.
The 49-year-old actor shook hands with some of the throngs of fans braving a summer heatwave with temperature forecast to hit 35 degrees.
Clooney, dressed in an elegant blue suit, was flanked by the police which guided him through a crush of mostly women ranging from teenagers to women who old enough to be his mother.
Three suspects are accused of setting up a clothing label using the Clooney’s name and then fooling suppliers into thinking it had his backing.
Judge Pietro Caccialanza allowed journalists and spectators to occupy the courtroom but reminded them to restrain from taking photographs and to respect the “calm dignity’’ of case.
The star didn’t have to travel far to the Milan court. Clooney has a waterside mansion on nearby Lake Como.
The alleged fraud came to public attention in 2008 when the police seized dozens of articles of clothing from the label before they were to be displayed by models at a Milan fashion show.