In a development that Michel Bonnefus called 'devastating', the
descendants of King James I of Aragon (1208-1276) have obtained a
restraining order on America's Cup management and the city of
Valencia, preventing any
'commercial use of waters' claimed by the Montpellier family. That
includes the entire sailing area for Act 13, the Louis Vuitton Cup,
and the America's Cup.
'We've been quietly negotiating this for many months, even offering a
significant 'incentive' payment to the family to quit their claim on
the area but they've pushed this to the brink and have found a
receptive ear with a local judge with monarchist leanings,' said an
attorney for the America' s Cup who insisted on anonymity.
The heart of the claim rests with the fact that in 1238 when James I
conquered the city of Valencia, he did not annex it to the kingdom of
Aragon or Catalunya, but made it into an autonomous kingdom within the
group of States under his sceptre. That historical quirk has never
been addressed by any subsequent court or national body. Thus the
claim that the entire city of Valencia still falls under the ownership
and rule of James' descendants apparently has enough validity to
warrant this unprecedented action.
'Oh, this is a legal scholar's dream case' said Enrique Chata-Ortega,
chancellor of Madrid's famed University Alfonso X El Sabio. 'We have
800 years of history to sort through, this could take years to
resolve.
Ultimately I believe the family's claim will lose in court but that's
little consolation now to the event organisers who are prohibited from
launching.'
A spokesman for the Montpellier family denied rumours that they pushed
for an injunction after being denied a position as '17th man' aboard
the Spanish syndicate Desafio Espanol: 'We're Catalans, not Spaniards!
If all we wanted was 17th man it would be with those cute Latin
Rascals... Madame de Montpellier would love to be seated immediately
behind Nacho and Flavio...'
Legal wrangling continue as the deadline approaches.
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