Clint Eastwood's Space Cowboys was a recent critical and commercial hit

Other rooms in the "bunkhouse" were as cheap as $85 (�60) per night but were not accessible to wheelchair users.

Furthermore, toilets accessible to guests using the restaurant were more than 200 feet (60 metres) away, through a car park; and the main office could only be reached by stairs.

Zum Brunnen's attorney, John Burris explained that $6.7m (�4.7m) renovations to the building in 1988 failed to include ramps and other improvements for the disabled that would have cost just $20,000 (�14,180).

"The rules were violated at a time when it was easy to follow the rules," he said.

In defence of Eastwood his lawyer Chuck Keller acknowledged that facilities for the disabled at the 31-room hotel were inadequate in 1996.

But he complained that Eastwood had not been given time to correct the problems before being sued.

In May, Eastwood testified before Congress in support of a bill requiring that property owners be notified of alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act - before they are sued.

Keller also said inconsistencies in zum Brunnen's story raise doubts about whether she and her husband, Michael, actually visited Mission Ranch on 21 January 1996.

The case continues.