Court to decide Julio Iglesias case
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Julio Iglesias’ management company demands $10 million in damages. AFP photo
Julio Iglesias has launched a lawsuit against Turkish Cyprus in connection to a concert that was canceled in 2010 on the grounds that the territory is an “illegal organization.”Iglesias’ management company, which has a Turkish partner, demanded $10 million in damages, saying they had been “deceived” and that they did not know about Turkish Cyprus’ ill-defined diplomatic situation or that the territory’s structure lacked “governmental characteristics.”
The U.S. based management company, Creative Talent Agency (ICTA) and the Voyager Cyprus Company’s hotel, Merit Crystal, signed an agreement in October 2010 for an Iglesias concert. However, after pressure by Greek Cyprus, the concert was cancelled, while the retainer fee taken was not returned to Voyager.
Voyager sued ICTA in Florida, requesting the money back, but was unsuccessful. On Aug. 12, 2011, ICTA sued Voyager in Washington and also sued Turkish Cyprus. According to a written statement in the case, ICTA said Turkish Cyprus was an illegal organization.
Athan T. Tsimpedes, an attorney who has taken part in many Greek cases, took over the case and said the areas under Turkish Cyprus’ control belonged to Greek Cyprus and that Turkish Cyprus was an illegal organization in the international arena.
The court will decide on the case in the coming weeks. It is expected that the case will be evaluated as an economic case rather than a political one.
