Evel Knievel, Kanye West settle dispute

TAMPA -- Famed daredevil and Clearwater resident Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel and rapper Kanye West have settled a lawsuit, the parties announced today.

Knievel sued West for imitating him in the rap video for West's Touch the Sky.

The case went to mediation earlier this month and attorneys filed a notice today to dismiss the case without the option of reviving it in Tampa federal court.

"The lawsuit is settled to both our satisfaction," Knievel said today from his Clearwater home.

He decline to discuss the terms of the settlement but said he was pleased to meet West.

"I found the man to be a congenial gentleman," Knievel said. "I find him to be a very warm and personable guy. He did the right thing."

Knievel also expressed sadness for the death of West's mother, Donda West, who died earlier this month after complications from cosmetic surgery.

"I was very sorry that it had to happen at the time that his mother was having her own difficulty," Knievel said.

Brad Rose, a New York-based attorney for West, declined to comment on the settlement.

Kevin Graham, Times staff writer