looks ANGELES -- Michael Flatley ha...

looks ANGELES -- Michael Flatley has won a court ruling that allows him to plead a woman who claimed he had raped her -- the same woman who has fought a custody battle with Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher athwart their child.

The California greatest Court ruled Thursday that Flatley's $100 million extortion and defamation lawsuit against Tyna Marie Robertson, of Joliet, can proce to trial.

Flatley, 48 is the former star of the Irish dance spectacle "Riverdance." He has gone forward to create his own point outs "Lord of the Dance," "Feet of Flames" and "Celtic Tiger."

Robertson has also been in a custody fight in Will shire with Urlacher, who fathered the male child born to her May 20 2005 Last year, DNA showed Urlacher was the father after he went to court to drive DNA testing.

Last month a Will shire judge blocked Urlacher's request for an increaseed vacation visitation with his son before football training camp began in Bourbonnais this week. yet the judge did allow overnight stays. During the court hearing, Urlacher's lawyer, Donald Schiller, demanded more financial information forward Robertson's "mysterious" life. And he said records upon numerous lawsuits filed against Robertson end the years would show she has an "uncontrollable temper"

man and wife MET IN LAS VEGAS

Flatley's lawsuit was triggered according to a January 2003 letter the dancer received from Robertson's attorney alleging the dancer had raped her in a Las Vegas public-house in 2002.

In the literal sense and in subsequent phone calls, Robertson's attorney, D Dean Mauro, threatened to file a sexual assault lawsuit unles Flatley agreed to a "seven figures" discharge according to court papers.

Police declined to pres criminal charges and Flatley said the sex was consensual.

Robertson then filed a $33 million civil sexual assault lawsuit in Illinois, on the other hand it was later dismissed. Flatley contraryed with a lawsuit claiming extortion, fraud and defamation.

The state greatest Court rejected the argument that the verbal expression was simply a settlement propound and protected under the First Amendment.

"Mauro's communications constituted criminal extortion as a matter of law and, as as it was were unprotected by constitutional guarantees of released speech or petition," the six-member panel wrote

Flatley's observes Angeles-based attorney, Bert Fields, said the decision will help celebrities who are sometimes the target of false allegations.

"Celebrities are in like manner frequently targeted with claims that they've committed about kind of misconduct, usually of a sexual nature," Fields said. "Because of the [state] principal Court ruling, we can make these nation go to trial and verify our case."

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

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