Prince sued for €1.6m after pulling out of Croke Park gig
MCD is bringing the case against the 'Purple Rain' singer, claiming financial loss
Tuesday December 16 2008
IRISH music fans didn't get to hear Prince play live this year, and he hasn't heard the end of it.
The diminutive singer is being sued for €1.6m after he pulled out of a concert at Croke Park in June at short notice.
Promoter MCD is bringing the case against the 'Purple Rain' singer, claiming financial loss and damage to its reputation after the gig was called off.
Prince has never given a reason for the cancellation, which left 55,000 fans disappointed.
Yesterday at the High Court, David O'Donohoe, a solicitor for MCD, said in an affidavit that Prince agreed in February to perform at Croke Park for a fee of $3m (e2.2m). However, it was also confirmed that there was no written contract. Half the fee was paid into the account of the singer's agent, Tony Goldring. Mr Goldring, who is based with the William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills, sent an "unambiguous email" on February 28, confirming the agreement with MCD.
Cancel
But the same agent informed MCD on June 6, that Prince wished to cancel. The concert was due to take place on June 16.
Mr O'Donohoe said yesterday that despite MCD's best efforts to persuade the artist to play, Prince refused to do so. No reason was ever given for the cancellation, he added.
In court yesterday, MCD said that although promoters have insurance against cancellation, that insurance is only valid in specific unforeseeable circumstances. MCD, which is headed by businessman Denis Desmond, claims the cost of the cancellation amounted to €1,664,945, adding that they incurred substantial promotion costs, and that all the tickets were refunded.
MCD confirmed there was no written contract with Prince but their legal team argued that the email correspondence between Mr Desmond and Mr Goldring makes it "abundantly clear" that a finished contract was entered into.
MCD yesterday applied for orders from the High Court that would allow them to formally serve the proceedings on Prince, and that will limit the time in which he can enter an appearance. Mr Justice Michael Peart granted the orders.
Efforts to contact the singer through his agent, Mr Goldring, were unsuccessful last night.
- Jason O'Brien and Tim Healy
