Fight for 10,000-dollar tip ends in court

ISTANBUL

Monica Belluci(L), Telman Ismailov(C) and Richard Gere (R) at the opening of Mardan Palace Otel, DHA Photo

Waiters at a restaurant in Antalya have been taken to court after their argument over how to share a 10,000-dollar tip left by a Russian billionaire resulted in a fracas that caused considerable damage to their place of employment, daily Milliyet reported today.

The waiters were unable to agree on how to share the money left by Russian businessman Teiman Ismalov as a tip two months ago.

The restaurant’s owner has filed a lawsuit, demanding reparation costs from the waiters who started the fight that caused the damage and requiring the businessman to testify in court.

Ismalov is the owner of the seven-star Mardan Palace Otel, which opened in 2009 in the Mediterranean province of Antalya with a huge ceremony featuring well-known celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Richard Gere, Sharon Stone, Monica Belluci and others.