CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SANTA ANA : ‘Marlboro Man’ OKs Lawsuit Settlement

A former actor and Hollywood stuntman who once portrayed the “Marlboro man” in cigarette advertisements, agreed to an out-of-court settlement with a physician he claimed had failed to diagnose his lung cancer. Wayne McLaren, 49, of Corona del Mar said the terms of the settlement in his medical malpractice lawsuit against Newport Beach physician William Freud were ordered confidential by the court. McLaren had alleged in his suit that he went to Freud on Sept. 5, 1989, for a physical examination and to check out a cough. During that examination, he claimed, a chest X-ray was taken but never reviewed by the doctor. Eight months later, when McLaren went to a second doctor to correct a sinus problem, his lung cancer was diagnosed in its advanced stage. Freud denied any wrongdoing. He said McLaren never showed up for a follow-up visit and also said McLaren went to see him for impotency problems and made no mention of a cough.