Tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams and their father should be held liable for millions of dollars in a lawsuit alleging the sisters reneged on a deal to play in a 2001 match, an attorney representing the match's would-be promoters said in closing arguments Wednesday.
Carol Clarke and Keith Rhodes, owners of a company called CCKR, allege that Richard Williams agreed to a contract to have his daughters play in a "Battle of the Sexes" match that never took place.
The promoters are suing the sisters, their father and his company, Richard Williams Tennis & Associates, for unspecified damages. An initial trial last year ended in a mistrial.
The dispute centers on whether Richard Williams had authority to commit his daughters. The promoters claim he presented himself as the sisters' manager and negotiated the deal on their behalf. Venus and Serena Williams testified during the more than monthlong trial that only they have authority to approve contracts.
"We have the existence of a written contract in this case," plaintiffs' attorney John Romano told jurors. "It's not a case of a verbal agreement over who said what."
Despite the agreement with Richard Williams, the sisters' attorney noted in his closing arguments that neither Venus nor Serena signed anything.
"The contract, or the letter, if you will, is signed by Richard Williams," F. Malcolm Cunningham told jurors. "The case, ladies and gentlemen, should end right there for Venus Williams and Serena Williams."
Jurors got the case Wednesday afternoon, picked a foreman and adjourned for the day. Deliberations were set to begin Thursday morning. The panel of five women and one man have the option of finding Richard Williams liable, alone. They could also find the sisters and their father liable or dismiss the allegations.
Richard Williams has acknowledged drawing up terms of the contract, but insists he told the promoters they would have to go through the IMG sports agency, which represents Venus and Serena, to complete an agreement. The promoters say he made no such disclaimer.
"Richard Williams is a dad. Richard Williams is a tennis coach. He is not a manager," Richard Williams' attorney, David Slutsker, said in his closing arguments. "He is not authorized to bind or commit his daughters."
Slutsker maintained that the agreement was preliminary and that the promoters failed to follow through with IMG.
"There was no breach of contract because that is not a contract," Slutsker said.
The plaintiffs' attorneys previously played a video clip for jurors showing Richard Williams negotiating the deal with Clarke. In the video, taken by Richard Williams, he tells Clarke that Venus and Serena are "well aware of what I am doing."
Richard Williams later testified he was lying, and both sisters have said they knew nothing of the deal and would never have agreed to play in the match.
"It is inconceivable that Venus and Serena Williams ... did not know what was going on," Romano told jurors, adding that Richard Williams "perpetrated a fraud."
Cunningham countered that there is no evidence that proves Venus and Serena knew about the deal.
"The evidence is clear that Carol Clarke and Keith Rhodes never had one conversation with Venus or Serena Williams about the Battle of the Sexes," he said. "I submit to you that Richard Williams' word is not the word of Venus and Serena Williams."
Throughout the trial, jurors were shown tax returns that indicate Richard Williams was paid management fees, bolstering the plaintiffs' contention that he had authority to sign contracts for his daughters.
However, attorneys for the sisters and their father claim the payments were mischaracterized for tax purposes and that Richard Williams was paid merely for coaching services.
A plaintiffs' witness who had served as a Williams family business adviser testified previously that in 1999 he produced a document that outlined protocol for doing business with the tennis stars. The document, shown to jurors, states that no one is to speak directly to the women without first going through their father.
Richard Williams first acknowledged signing the document, but later, under oath, insisted he had never seen it. Richard Williams also denied signing other contracts that appeared to have his signature, including one that committed his daughters to appear in public service ads.
The promoters claim the tournament could have made about $45 million, of which 80 percent was to go to Richard Williams' company.
(China Daily via AP December 21, 2006)