3.00pm
A decision on whether OneWorld should be thrown out of the America's Cup is expected later today or tomorrow.
The decision could have an impact on the Louis Vuitton Challenger series as the semi-finals are due to get underway tomorrow afternoon.
A specially convened America's Cup arbitration panel has been hearing testimony
this weekend on allegations by rival challengers Team Dennis Conner and Italy's Prada that OneWorld used design secrets taken from other teams.
In testimony yesterday, former OneWorld Challenge operations manager Sean Reeves stuck by his allegations against the Seattle-based syndicate through four hours of sometimes heated testimony.
US attorney Hal Baetz said Reeves' account of events was contrary to affidavits presented by a number of people on behalf of OneWorld Challenge, including founder Craig McCaw, designers Laurie Davidson, Phil Kaiko, Scott Vogel and Ian Mitchell.
Reeves: "I don't care if there are 1000 affidavits. I stand by my testimony."
Baetz said Reeves asked the panel to accept his word that OneWorld were guilty of violations of the America's Cup protocol over the sworn testimony of others.
Reeves was asked whether he expected his word to be accepted by the panel over that large group who disputed his evidence.
"Absolutely," Reeves said.
For OneWorld, Reeves was in charge of recruiting sailors, designers and technical staff from other syndicates. He lured away some of the richest talent belonging to cup holders Team New Zealand.
The hearing took place today in a second-story room at Auckland's venerable Northern Club, an ivy-clad gentleman's club built in 1841, 10 years before the first cup race.
This weekend's hearing opened with the panel chairman, Australian judge Michael Foster, noting the enormous amount of written material that had been presented.
In the course of a normal court case, a matter of this complexity and volume would take 10 days to resolve, he noted. In this instance, however, the panel had just two days set aside for the hearing.
Observers from Cup syndicates were able to attend and among others, Dennis Conner and Ross Blackman, CEO of Team New Zealand, were present for the testimony. Through a three-man pool of media representatives, limited reporting of the hearing has been permitted.
Reeves and Baetz have clashed before, when Baetz took Reeves' videotaped deposition to the Federal District Court at Seattle which found he had breached the terms of a confidentiality agreement with OneWorld.
OneWorld were awarded damages and legal costs amounting to more than US$1m.
The panel responded in August to a request from OneWorld for an interpretive ruling on allegations of protocol breaches.
It found that while OneWorld admitted possessing design information belonging to Team New Zealand, Prada and 1999 challengers America True, it could not be proved they had used that information.
OneWorld were penalised one competition point.
- HERALD STAFF, AP
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Racing schedule, results and standings
3.00pm
A decision on whether OneWorld should be thrown out of the America's Cup is expected later today or tomorrow.
The decision could have an impact on the Louis Vuitton Challenger series as the semi-finals are due to get underway tomorrow afternoon.
A specially convened America's Cup arbitration panel has been hearing testimony
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