London judge Robert Jay advises Queensberry promoter Frank Warren and Chris Eubank Jr to settle their ongoing lawsuit through mediation as opposed to a trial, as is reported by ESPN.
Warren sued Eubank Jr for slander and libel for comments Eubank made during a press conference last fall when he accused Warren of being a scumbag who’s been “lying and cheating” his way through boxing for the past couple of decades.
Although neither Eubank nor Warren appeared in court today for a preliminary hearing on the matter, Warren’s lawyer argued that Eubank’s comments were a ‘strong and direct slur’ against his client while Eubank’s lawyer argued that press conferences are often filled with combative language which is just a normal part of the entertainment.
The judge, for his part, thinks that both sides should just settle their differences out of court if at all possible.
“If you don’t want to mediate, fair enough, you are entitled to a trial. But I would have thought this type of case is capable of being mediated.”
It’s worth noting that Eubank Jr had apologized to Warren the day after his press conference rant, which was publicly accepted by Warren, but that didn’t stop Warren from moving forward with legal action. Whether or not the sides will be able to reach some sort of agreement without the need of a trial remains to be seen.
