MOSCOW, April 11 - RAPSI, Sergei Feklyunin. A British company has filed a 120,000 pounds claim against the Moscow Circus led by Edgard Zapashny with the Moscow Commercial court, the court told RAPSI on Wednesday.

The court spokesman could not explain the essence of the dispute, but stated that the lawsuit was filed on April 3, and the hearing is scheduled for May 16.

According to the UK's company resgistry Companies House, New Art Productions Limited was established in 2001 with a charter capital of 100 pounds. The company organizes shows and promotes performing artists. Until recently, it was headed by British subject Viktor Pilipovich, but from April this year, it has been run by Galina Pilipovich.

Media reports have claimed that a British circus company intended to file a legal claim for compensation against the Moscow Circus' new director for breach of contract.

Reportedly, the British Royal Circus had filed a suit over Zapashny's alleged failure to meet his obligations for no given reason in a 45 million ruble ($1.5 million) contract on the companies' joint performance scheduled for 2013.

In a letter RIA Novosti received at the time, the Great Moscow State Circus management officially stated that the agreement the former management signed with the British Royal Circus on July 24, 2012, was null and void, was not effective as of the signing date and did not entail any legal consequences such as the payment of damages.

According to the Moscow Circus, the agreement violated the Russian law on the purchase of goods, services and works by specific types of entities, which requires that agreements of this kind can only be concluded on a competitive basis, which was not the case with the agreement with the British Royal Circus.

RAPSI has not yet obtained any comment from the plaintiffs.