Erica reopens her lawsuit against Rory McIlroy, but this time the evidence she presents leaves Rory uneasy. Full Story and Evidence 👇
Rory McIlroy plays golf to win. But this did not happen during the trial of his lawsuit against his former agent, Horizon Sports Management. After more than a year of delays and pretrial motions, the Irish Commercial Court opened in Dublin on Tuesday to hear McIlroy’s claims. The allegations are that Horizon signed a contract with the world number one in 2011, but that the contract was extended in March 2013 and terminated by McIlroy in September 2013, stipulating unjustified commissions and fees. Horizon and top player Connor Ridge filed a counterclaim at the same time as McIlroy filed suit in October 2013, seeking the return of commissions for deals the company closed on McIlroy’s behalf, including a deal with Nike worth more than $100 million. The court was only 42 seconds to be postponed until 2:00 pm. Dublin time for regulation negotiations. The court was postponed again for two overtime work for additional negotiations and dismissal per day before the final update. The Telegraph reported in September that McIlroy’s team had offered $12 million in damages in court-ordered pre-trial mediation, an offer that Horizon rejected. McIlroy missed two high-profile European Tour events in November to say he needed to prepare for a trial that observers estimate could take up to eight weeks and require McIlroy to appear in court for at least a week.
Horizon’s lawyers have tried to tarnish McIlroy’s reputation during pre-trial hearings by suggesting McIlroy timed the lawsuit to coincide with the wedding of Graeme McDowell, who lobbied McIlroy to join Horizon from International Sports Management in late 2011. The defendants’ lawyers also accused McIlroy, his father Jerry and another accomplice of deleting data related to the case from several mobile devices.
What is unclear is what motivates a possible settlement. McIlroy ultimately filed suit after he separated from Horizon and formed his own management company, Rory McIlroy Inc., to manage his business interests. He may have filed suit in hopes of receiving compensation for some of the money he owes Horizon Inc. under his contract. He may have realized that a lengthy trial could bring more personal harm than economic benefit.