Seven wins Mel B updated

Seven wins Mel B updated

Seven has won the case to prevent Melanie Brown from joining Australia’s Got Talent on Nine.

Channel Seven took legal action after rival network Nine poached Brown as a judge for their talent show.

Seven argued Brown had breached her X Factor contract with them and was granted an injunction in the NSW Supreme Court to prevent the singer from working for other networks until the end of January next year.

This morning Justice David Hammerschlag ordered she be permanently blocked from appearing on any other network this year.

Brown’s husband Stephen Belafonte told the court he had a conversation with Seven production director Brad Lyons in December in which he flagged the “looming issue” of her children’s visas, which would stop her staying in Australia for the show.

Both Brown and Nine claimed her agreement with Seven expired that month, and she never accepted any deal to extend it after that.

But Mr Lyons denied the visa problems were ever discussed at that stage and Justice Hammerschlag today said he believed his version of events over Belafonte, who had been negotiating with Seven on his wife’s behalf.

“(Belafonte) was evasive and unclear and gave inconsistent evidence. He displayed a propensity to say inaccurate things on the spur of the moment,” he said.

Justice Hammerschlag found Seven remained “keen and willing” to work with the former Spice Girl, but the “problem is with Mel”.

He found she had an obligation to provide her “exclusive services” to Seven, which had agreed to keep its side of the deal “notwithstanding recent events”.

“I see no reason why she should not be ordered to keep her word that she would not work for anyone but Seven in Australia in 2013.”

source the age

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