Hollywood star takes her NZ fruit case to court

Hilary Swank won an Oscar for her role in "Million Dollar Baby". Picture / Reuters

The case of the apple, the orange and the Hollywood movie star comes up at Manukau District Court tomorrow.


Double-Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank's reasons for failing to declare an apple and an orange in her luggage to New Zealand biosecurity staff when she landed at Auckland International Airport on a flight from Los Angeles in January will be considered behind closed doors by a Judge or Justice of the Peace.

Swank, one of the most famous actresses in the world after being named best actress for her starring role in the Clint Eastwood-directed Million Dollar Baby at last month's Oscar awards, had the choice of paying the instant $200 fine or writing a letter defending her actions.

She chose to write a letter and that has been filed in Manukau District Court along with a letter from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) outlining the case.

A decision will be made possibly tomorrow or within a couple of weeks.

"No lawyers for Ms Swank will be present and she's not going to appear," said MAF spokesman William Minchin.

He did not know what the 30-year-old Hollywood actress had been doing in New Zealand. The Herald understands the actress was not in transit when she visited.

"There is no reason MAF would know that, what we were concerned with was that she failed to declare an apple and an orange," he said.

The story has been reported around the world, appearing in newspapers and on websites from Chicago to Melbourne.