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The company that runs the men's senior tennis tour is suing the Palisades development over more than $350,000 in unpaid sponsorship fees.
The suit, filed Monday locally in federal court, says Rhein Palisades failed to pay any of the $347,288 owed InsideOut Champions Series for running last month's tournament at the South Charlotte planned community.
The suit also says Rhein Palisades owes $10,250 in unpaid fees from the 2008 tournament.
Doug Hand, a New York attorney representing InsideOut, said the company wants to continue holding the tournament at the Tim Wilkison Signature Sports Complex at the Palisades.
"It's a fairly straightforward case of non-payment,'' Hand said.
A person answering the telephone at Rhein Palisades said she was unfamiliar with this suit and declined further comment in a brief interview. Mike Boston, director of operations for the Tim Wilkison Complex at the Palisades, said via e-mail he was unaware a lawsuit had been filed.
InsideOut has run a tournament at the Palisades each September since 2006 and is contracted through 2011. The eight-man fields have included Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and tour co-founder Jim Courier.
According to the lawsuit, InsideOut is responsible for running the tournament, constructing a temporary stadium each year and assembling the field of players (providing prize money of at least $145,000).
In return, the suit states, Rhein Palisades was contractually obligated to pay InsideOut $347,288, in three installments, by the start of last month's tournament. None of those payments were made, according to the suit.
Asked why the tournament was still held, in the absence of those payments, Hand said InsideOut felt obliged to honor commitments to players, other sponsors and the Tennis Channel.
In addition to asking for monetary damages, the suit asks the court to compel the Palisades to continue hosting the tournament the next two years, and pay $747,537 in contracted sponsorship fees. OBSERVER RESEARCHER MARIA DAVID CONTRIBUTED.
