Agents for Julio Iglesias Lose ‘Political Manifesto’

WASHINGTON (CN) - A federal judge dismissed claims that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus duped singer Julio Iglesias into agreeing to perform an illegal concert on the island of Cyprus.

"Against this international backdrop, plaintiff International Creative Talent Agency LLC (ICTA) brings an action that reads more like a political manifesto than a contract suit," U.S. District Judge James Boasberg wrote, dismissing the case for lack of jurisdiction.

Iglesias' agents sued the Northern Cyprus and Voyager, a Turkish hotel-owning company, in 2011 claiming that they engaged in deceptive trade practices to lure U.S. citizens to its illegal operations.

The complaint alleges that Northern Cyprus, widely criticized for running the territory through brute military force, is not a legitimate, recognized state. By performing there, Iglesias would allegedly have violated U.S. and international law.

Boasberg concluded, however, that the talent agency did not have jurisdiction.

"Plaintiff's contract claims against the TRNC are puzzling given that Iglesias, not defendants, terminated the contract, which the TRNC was not even a part to," the decision states, abbreviating the self-declared state's name.

In a related dispute, Voyager sued the agency last year, claiming that Iglesias canceled the concert and kept the money that had been paid to him to perform.

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