The sports marketing agency representing tennis star Anna Kournikova has warned it is prepared to use "legal means" to recoup losses against the promoter of the Trilogy tennis tournament and fashion show.
Ms Kournikova had promised to donate $25,000 of her fee to the Chernobyl Children's Project.
The Trilogy tennis and fashion tournament was held in the RDS in Dublin last December and was organised by Mr Sean Collins McCarthy of Propriety Management.
Mr Ryan Rodenberg, who represents Ms Kournikova at the Washington-based Octagon agency, told The Irish Times yesterday that Propriety Management had "not met their obligations to our clients", Ms Kournikova and Ms Barbara Schett.
He said Octagon had tried to settle the matter with the Trilogy event promoters, but to no avail.
"We represent Ms Kournikova and Ms Schett who were involved in the Trilogy event last December. We were in discussions with the promoters of the event but they have not met their obligations to our clients. We are now exploring other means, including legal means of pursuing Mr Collins McCarthy," Mr Rodenberg said.
Ms Kournikova and Ms Schett were among a number of stars of the tennis and fashion world who featured in the Trilogy event.Other stars included Venus and Serena Williams, and models Sophie Dahl and Jodie Kidd.
Propriety Management has since collapsed, owing €3.6 million to creditors.
The Chernobyl Children's Project (CCP), which was to receive some of the profits of the event, has also been badly hit. Not only has it been denied any of the ticket revenue, but it has not been given $25,000, the percentage of Ms Kournikova's fee which she requested be donated to the charity.
Octagon refused to comment on the missing CPP money. However, Mr Emmet Coffey of the Chernobyl project said Octagon had told him they were very disappointed with the turn of events.
"Her \ representatives approached us a number of weeks ago to find out if we had received the money. Obviously at that stage we told them that we hadn't. They were very disappointed with that." Mr Coffey was speaking on RTÉ's Liveline programme yesterday.
Mr Coffey told The Irish Times last night that the Chernobyl Children's Project had benefited somewhat from the event, in that it had received €7,500 from the proceeds of a raffle held on the night of the fashion show and €2,500 from Mary Kennedy of RTÉ, who donated her fee for presenting the fashion show. However, he said, the charity had been banking on Ms Kournikova's donation.
The Chernobyl project had earmarked the money for the purchase of food, clothes and important medical supplies. The charity would now have to find the funds elsewhere, he said.
Mr Bill O'Herlihy, whose public relations company Bill O'Herlihy Communications is owed more than €100,000 in fees, said yesterday: "The event had a credibility problem, and they were significantly damaged by sniping from certain sections of the media."
Mr Collins McCarthy could not be contacted yesterday.
