Elizabeth Taylor ignored her ex-boyfriend in court Wednesday as their lawyers began selecting a jury to decide a multimillion-dollar dispute over the rights to her ``Passion'' perfume. Miss Taylor walked across the courtroom surrounded by her lawyers and made no acknowledgement of former beau Henry Wynberg, seated at the opposite end of a table. A panel of 50 prospective jurors sat with their eyes riveted on the actress, dressed in purple, as the judge explained what the trial was all about. Miss Taylor won permission earlier in the day to tell jurors about Wynberg's criminal record after her lawyers said it would explain her decision to keep him out of her perfume business. Lawyers for Henry Wynberg sought to prevent jurors from hearing that Wynberg - who courted Miss Taylor between her two marriages to Richard Burton - once pleaded guilty to statutory rape, providing drugs to underage high school girls in return for sex and taking pornographic photos of young girls. They called the evidence ``irrelevant, inflammatory and prejudicial.'' But Miss Taylor's lawyers argued that those issues were crucial to proving that she was justified in breaking off her business relationship with Wynberg ``because any reputable cosmetics company would refuse to deal with Wynberg.'' Superior Court Judge Coleman Swart declined to bar the evidence. Wynberg claims he conceived the actress' line of ``Passion'' perfume, and he's seeking a hefty share of the profits. He says he created the fragrance under the Elizabeth Taylor Cosmetics Inc. banner. At stake: about $70 million a year in profits. Litigation has produced volumes of depositions and affidavits about Wynberg's claim that he had a contract with Miss Taylor for exclusive rights to her name and likeness for promotion and sale of cosmetics. Wynberg sued in 1986 for 72 percent of ``Passion'' profits. Court documents show Wynberg's two-year romance with the violet-eyed actress ended in August 1975, when Miss Taylor said, ``I'm going back to Richard, Henry. I'll see you later.'' Burton and Miss Taylor remarried in Africa, and Wynberg returned to California. Court records show that a short time later, Miss Taylor and Wynberg signed the cosmetics agreement in Switzerland, with Burton as a witness. Wynberg said he spent years consulting with chemists and manufacturers, smelling perfumes and looking for the perfect bottle. ``I wanted sparkling little lights like stars in there, and I wanted it to look like money, feel like money,'' Wynberg said. According to Wynberg, Hen he presented the actress with the heart-shaped bottle and fragrance in November 1983, Miss Taylor said: ``Let's let bygones be bygones, Henry. Let's split 50-50 on the perfume deal.'' In a deposition, Miss Taylor denies Wynberg's assertion. ``I didn't want to do any business with him,'' she said. Miss Taylor contends that Wynberg's failure to follow through on the project violated the contract and made it invalid. In 1986 she signed with the Chesebrough-Ponds Inc. cosmetics company to market ``Passion'' using her name and likeness. It went on to be a big seller.
