Press Release of Intertainment AG
Judge
postpones once again the trial date in the lawsuit against Franchise Pictures
- Intertainment considers possible legal action against the decision
- New date to be scheduled for next year
Ismaning near Munich, July 14, 2003 - Alicemarie H. Stotler, the
responsible judge at the Federal District Court in Los Angeles, has once again unexpectedly postponed the court case
between Intertainment AG, Germany, and the American film producer Franchise Pictures without consulting Intertainment or
the lawyers of Intertainment beforehand. The judge did not give any reasons for the postponement. She only declared in a
facsimile that the decision was based on the court's own motion.
She requested the parties involved to agree to a new trial date to be scheduled in March, April, May or August 2004 by
July, 21 2003.
The trial was scheduled to commence on August 5, 2003. This date was set by the judge in December 2002 and was expressly
confirmed in June 2003 on the occasion of a pretrial conference.
The proposed date for the main proceedings has now been postponed for the third time. The main proceedings were
originally scheduled for Summer 2002. This date was not kept as the responsible judge up until then delegated the case
to Alicemarie H. Stotler. Judge Stotler then set November 19, 2002 as the day for beginning the main proceedings but
then postponed this date to August 5, 2003. However, she cancelled the date for the court appearance only a few days
beforehand without providing any reasons for this decision.
Intertainment had taken legal action against Franchise Pictures and demanded compensation amounting to at least 100
million dollars because of a fraudulent excessive budget. The suit was filed in December 2000 with the Federal District
Court in Los Angeles.
"We deeply regret the decision of the judge", declared Rüdiger Baeres, the chief executive officer of
Intertainment. "It is totally incomprehensible why such an important process has been postponed for the third time
especially when the judge decisively rejected the attempts of the lawyers of Franchise Pictures to have the trial
postponed on the occasion of the pretrial conference"
Intertainment will consider taking further legal steps against the renewed postponement of the main proceedings.
Contact:
Intertainment AG, Dr. Marietta Birner, Investor Relations, Osterfeldstraße 84, 85737 Ismaning
Telefon: 0 89 / 216 99 - 0, Telefax: 0 89 / 216 99 - 11,
Internet: www.intertainment.de , E-Mail: investor@intertainment.de