MOSCOW, July 15 (RAPSI) – A New York judge has ordered figure skater Oksana Baiul to compensate NBC’s $35,000 legal fees in a lawsuit filed by the Ukrainian-born skater against the company last year, AP writes.
Manhattan US District Judge Katherine Forrest, who awarded the fees to NBC Universal Media and NBC Sports Network, noted the frivolous nature of the lawsuit.
Forrest said the 1994 Olympic gold medalist claimed she was owed tens of millions of dollars in lost profits after being accidentally mentioned in publicity about a show she did not skate in.
Baiul claimed her reputation was damaged because the incorrect publicity presented her as unreliable due to her failure to appear in the show in which she allegedly promised to perform, making it harder for her to get work.
Oksana Baiul, the 1993 world figure skating champion, settled in the United States after winning the 1994 Olympics. She was 16 years old at the time.