Garbage In Istanbul Court

Garbage‘s legal action against TicketTurk over unpaid fees was stalled in the Istanbul courts when the defendant’s lawyers tried to tell the hearing that the same case was going through the judiciary twice.

By the time Savas Inandioglu, acting on behalf of the U.S. rockers, had convinced the 7th Asliye Ticaret Mahkemesi (Tribunal Of Commerce) that the case in progress was not the same as the one he’s also bringing against TicketTurk on behalf of Megadeth, it was time to adjourn.

The next hearing was set for February 2nd.

It’s hard to say how Eckmecki & Karakus, TicketTurk’s lawyers, became confused over two cases that have had TV coverage – particularly as they’ve already offered to settle out of court – but it may go some way to explaining why the 20 divisions of Istanbul’s Tribunal of Commerce have a backlog of about 2,000 cases each.

The Megadeth hearing that opened at the 8th Commercial Court October 11th was adjourned for “procedural reasons.” It’s due to come up again December 6th.

Inandioglu, who’s a partner in Topdemir & Inandioglu, is acting for both acts over the ticketing company’s apparent commitment to honor the balance of fees promoter Boray Dundar failed to pay them for their Rock Istanbul 2005 appearances.

TicketTurk, which is said to be a possible acquisition target for both the giant Turkish Dogan media group and German ticketing giant CTS Eventim, hasn’t paid up.

Despite making the out-of-court offer, Eckmecki & Karakus sent a letter to Pollstar saying there is no binding agreement for TicketTurk to pay the money, or at least not one that would be considered “legal and binding” under Turkish law.

Inandioglu said the documents he’s holding, which both appear to be signed by TicketTurk managing director Gulseren Onanc, are pledges that “irrevocably and unconditionally” commit to making the payments on Dundar’s behalf.

There will likely be further delays if the judge follows what seems to be a Turkish legal precedent for passing on commercial dispute documentation for an expert opinion on whether it’s binding.

– John Gammon