Hollywood actor Kevin Costner was accused at a British employment tribunal of performing an indecent act as he received a massage at a Scottish hotel.

A former spa worker on Tuesday claimed the actor exposed himself and carried out a sex act as she gave him a massage at the Old Course Hotel in Fife, Scotland, in October 2004, papers filed with the tribunal said.

The allegations made by the 34-year-old woman -- who brought a claim for unfair dismissal and sexual discrimination against the hotel -- were not taken seriously by hotel staff, papers said.

"This was never about Kevin Costner. It is a dispute between a hotel and an ex-employee," Costner's spokesman Paul Bloch told reporters.

Tribunal chairman Nicol Hosie lifted a restriction imposed at an earlier hearing to prevent Costner's identity being revealed, claiming there was no reason for it to be withheld from reporting.

He said the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had agreed to settle her claim against the hotel out of court.

The tribunal, sitting in Dundee, Scotland, did not consider whether or not her claims were true.

An earlier hearing had been told Costner and his wife were staying at the hotel in Scotland at the time of the alleged incident.

"It is the company's position not to comment on matters of litigation," said an Old Course Hotel spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, in a written statement. "The parties have settled this matter. The terms are confidential and undisclosed."