Lawyer suing Social Democrats rejects out-of-court settlement

On Monday, the Czech Social Democrats said they offered to negotiate an out-of-court settlement with a lawyer who is suing the party for money he claims he is owed for legal services. Zdenek Altner claims he is owed 19 billion crowns or 889 million US dollars from the Social Democrats for services he gave them in a legal dispute over the ownership of the party's headquarters in the 1990s. The Constitutional Court eventually ruled that the Social Democrats could keep their party building in 2000. Mr Altner says his contract with the Social Democrats meant he was entitled to money amounting to 10% of the value of the property or 93 million Czech crowns (4.3 million USD), which eventually rose to 19 billion crowns due to fines and late-payment penalties. Social Democrat leader Jiri Paroubek said his party's offer included a sum that the Social Democrats thought was acceptable. He also said Mr Altner's demands were exaggerated and unsubstantiated and would not stand up in court.

Author: Coilin O'Connor