Prada fined $21,000 over court action

America's Cup yachting syndicate Prada have been fined US$10,000 ($21,330) and ordered to pay US$3000 costs for filing proceedings against another challenger in the High Court.

Cup rules ban legal action by one syndicate against another.

Prada filed an action against Oracle BMW Racing in June after a dispute over an Oracle barge floating between the syndicates at the Viaduct Harbour.

Prada were worried that people on the barge could see into their base.

Oracle went to the America's Cup Arbitration Panel arguing that Prada had breached the cup protocol.

Prada soon dropped the action.

In its decision, the Arbitration Panel said the rule preventing challengers resorting to any other court or tribunal was clearly intended to prevent the "sorry spectacle" of competing teams resorting to the judicial process.

- NZPA

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