Pop star Filipp Kirkorov has been summoned to appear in court after he failed to reach an out-of-court settlement with a television producer he first apologized to but later denied assaulting.
The Moscow City Court on Wednesday sent out notices to both Kirkorov and the producer, Marina Yablokova, that a hearing would be held Thursday, said court spokeswoman Anna Usachyova, Interfax reported.
Kirkorov, 43, was reported last week to have reached a settlement with Yablokova, 29, who said he kicked her and dragged her by the hair during the filming of a still-unaired "Golden Gramophone" television show on Dec. 4. But the deal fell through, with each side blaming the other.
Kirkorov has apologized to Yablokova, blaming the incident on “fits” caused by an undiagnosed mental disorder, but he later denied that he had physically assaulted Yablokova. His lawyer Alexander Dubrovinsky said a video of the incident confirmed that no beating took place.
But Yablokova's lawyer Sergei Zhorin said Kirkorov's denial amounted to the singer retracting his apology and that the video would support Yablokova's accusations.
“There is only one video in existence, and it's the one that shows Kirkorov beating Yablokova. I don't know what else they might have. Let the court decide,” Zhorin said by telephone Wednesday.
Kirkorov's lawyer said Yablokova refused to accept a payment of 10 million rubles ($325,000), Interfax reported. He also said Kirkorov might file a defamation lawsuit and had not received formal notice from the court.
Earlier reports said Kirkorov faced charges of minor assault and insult, punishable with a fine and up to several months in jail.
