Desmond Determined To Collect

Having won a euro 2.2 million judgment against Prince over the American singer’s failure to show for a 2008 concert in Dublin, Irish promoter Denis Desmond appears determined to collect his money.

The MCD chief has secured a court order allowing his company to pursue the pop superstar throughout the European Union and is also considering applying to enforce the judgment order in the States.

“I haven’t heard from him and his people haven’t heard from him,” Desmond told Pollstar, after a Dublin court granted him a European Enforcement Order to help him get his hands on the cash.

“I honestly think they’re as much in the dark as we are,” he said, indicating he had no reason to believe it was Prince’s legal advisers who are stalling the payment.

“I think he’s just trying to drag it out for as long as he can and for whatever reason he has for doing so,” Desmond explained. “It’s the rock ’n’ roll business. So, we’ll just proceed with trying to enforce the judgment.”

The EEO means MCD can seek income due to Prince from concerts or other sources throughout the EU.

An Irish court awarded MCD euro 2.2 million ($ 3 million) Feb. 26 because Prince pulled out of a summer show at Dublin’s 82,000-capacity Croke Park at a couple of weeks notice. The amount of the settlement wasn’t revealed at the time because both sides had agreed to it.

On March 26, High Court Justice Peter Kelly ordered Prince to pay the settlement and said he was making the total damages public because so far the veteran rocker hadn’t paid any of it.

On April 13 Prince still hadn’t paid up and Justice Kelly granted MCD permission to go in search of the money.

He also ordered Prince to pay a further euro 5,000 ($6,825) toward the costs of that day’s hearing.