THE AMERICAN handlers of Manny Pacquiao filed a civil case against the Filipino boxing star’s local advisers alleging that lawyer Jing Gacal and confidant Wakee Salud coerced Pacquiao into signing a disadvantageous contract with ABS-CBN, which is staging Pacquiao’s fight with Mexican Oscar Larios on July 2.
A copy of the complaint was given personally to Gacal and Salud on May 30 in Los Angeles just hours before the two boarded a Philippine Airlines jet bound for Manila. Gacal and Salud arrived in Manila yesterday morning with the copy of the complaint filed by lawyers Nicholas Khan and Keith Davidson, and Shelly Finkel in Los Angeles.
Gacal and Salud have been given 30 days upon receipt to come up with a counter.
The case filed against them according to Gacal are interference in contractual relations, unfair business practices and practing law without a license.
“I was there in the US for some other purpose,” said Gacal. “Wakee and I were there to help in the paperwork concerning the boxers who are fighting in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Larios main event. They alleged that while I was there, I was giving legal advice to Manny concerning US laws which I didn’t do because I am not familiar with US laws.”
Being eyed to represent Gacal and Salud is Las Vegas criminal lawyer David Chesnoff, who was instrumental in the annulment of pop star Britney Spears’ celebrated 55-hour marriage with childhood sweetheart Jason Alexander.
Chesnoff has been to Cebu under Salud’s invitation.
Chesnoff, 55, who graduated at Suffolk University Law School in 1979, also represented Martha Stewart and was reported by The Las Vegas Sun as having also represented personalities from the underworld.
The move by Pacquiao’s US handlers to file a case came as a surprise since Finkel and Khan were even in the country last March to officially promote the Pacquiao-Larios showdown. Khan returned after a month and was present during the press conference held at the ABS-CBN headquarters.
Pacquiao is guaranteed a purse of million and under the contract his American handlers are entitled to a 25 percent share.
But Finkel, Kahn and Davidson, according to Pacquiao’s local handlers, not only want a bigger piece of the pie but an extension of their contract with the GenSan lefty which expires on Jan. 31, 2007.
It’s been rumored that Pacquiao is no longer keen in extending his contract with his US handlers.
Pacquiao is already well aware of the case filed by his US management team but has vowed to concentrate on his training for the Larios fight at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood until June 19.
