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America's Cup ruling expected
15/01/2008 10:48 - (SA)
Madrid - A New York court is expected to issue a final ruling next week on whether to back US syndicate Oracle over its legal challenge to Swiss champions Alinghi over the rules for the next America's Cup, Oracle said on Monday.
Oracle filed a lawsuit in a New York court last summer accusing Alinghi of adopting rules which were unfairly weighted in the Swiss defender's favour, and in November the judge ruled in favour of the US team.
The court had been expected to finalize the ruling on January 14.
But the Golden Gate Yacht Club, which represents Oracle, said a decision was not now expected until next week.
"Justice Herman Cahn of the New York State Supreme Court today heard further arguments on the order and scheduled a hearing for January 23," it said in a statement. "GGYC expects the court will sign the order either then or shortly afterwards."
"We are very pleased," club spokesperson Tom Ehman said. "We are confident the court's decision of November 27 will be enforced."
Alinghi has asked the court to reexamine its ruling, arguing that Oracle's original challenge should have been declared inadmissible because it contains "a major flaw in the boat certificate."
But the court is expected to stick by its earlier ruling and set a date for a catamaran duel in October 2008 for the next race, as sought by Oracle, instead of a conventional America's Cup challenge.
The next edition of yachting's showpiece event was originally planned for 2009 in the Spanish Mediterranean port of Valencia but it has been indefinitely postponed because of the legal dispute.
If the legal wrangling continues beyond the end of January it could be too late to organise a duel before 2009, under the archaic set of rules governing sport's oldest prize known as the Deed of Gift.
The America's Cup first hit the rocks in the aftermath of the hugely successful staging of the 32nd edition won by defender Alinghi against Team New Zealand in Valencia in July.
The crisis was triggered by Alinghi's naming of Spain's Desafio as the official 'Challenger of Record' and a controversial reworking of some of the rules.
Oracle said Alinghi was giving itself an unfair advantage and took their case to court.
The court ruled that Oracle should be the Challenger of Record, meaning it can help negotiate the rules for the next America's Cup.
- AFP
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