Former ice skating Olympic champion Oksana Baiul is suing the sports division of NBC and the production company Disson Skating for allegedly promoting her name, even though she had never agreed to appear on a couple of shows, according to the New York Daily News.
The Ukrainian claims the network promoted her involvement in two TV specials even as she never appeared on them, making it seem as though she had been disloyal to her fans.
The two shows in question were when Baiul did not appear in a December 15, 2011 event with the group Styx and the other a January 19, 2012 with musician Kenny G. She claimed that by advertising her appearance on the two shows and then not having her appear, made her seem as irresponsible, "that damages her goodwill with her loyal fans that purchased tickets (often months in advance) expecting to see her perform," her lawsuit, which filed in Manhattan Supreme Court charged.
Disson Skating's Stephen Disson called the lawsuit, "just weird," adding that his company never publicly disclosed his negotiations to have her appear at all. In fact, it was Baiul who often times all but ensured her presence, only to renege each time.
"Each time she had been a little flaky," Disson said. "One time, she didn't show up."
In November, Baiul sued the talent agency William Morris Endeavor for $1 million in compensatory damages. According to isportstimes.com, her lawsuit claimed "it mismanaged the money that she earned ever since her Olympic performance in Norway by collecting on her behalf and refusing to remit what she was owed."
The lawsuit also said that "she signed contracts with the agency at the age of 16 shortly after her victory at the Salt Lake City Olympic Games, but only discovered in November 2011 via her new personal manager that hundreds of thousands of dollars - which turned out to be $9.5 million - had gone uncollected or were improperly spent," according to isportstimes.com.
At the time, Baiul said that she signed the agreements without being able to read, write or understand English while the agency failed to properly explain everything to her and misrepresented the amounts she was owed.
