Big Rock Lawsuit Heats Up

Peter Waan, a mate on board the boat Citation, was cited for fishing without a license.

By: Chris Brown | WNCT-On Your Side
Published: July 20, 2010
Updated: July 20, 2010 - 6:51 PM

Jacksonville --

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - The court battle in the controversy surrounding the Big Rock fishing tournament is heating up.

You may recall that the fishing boat Citation was disqualified after it was discovered that one of their crew members didn't have a license when the winning fish was caught.

That disqualification cost the boat more than 1-million dollars in prize money.

Citation's owners filed suit in Dare County earlier this month. And tonight, Big Rock's attorneys are answering back.

In documents obtained exclusively by Eyewitness News 9, both sides lay out their arguments.

Citations owners say they complied with all tournament rules and believe the prize money is rightfully theirs.

But looking at the tournament rules, it specifically says the mate must have a fishing license, Citation's mate, Peter Wann, says he didn’t.

“I said you have a blanket license dont you, and he said no, you have a fishing license dont you, and I said I think I do, I don’t know lets go check on the internet… and it was just a mistake, it was a million dollar mistake,” said Peter Wann, just one day after the Citations disqualification

According to the North Carolina Department of Marine Fisheries, Wann was cited for not having that license.

Peter Wann’s name is never mentioned in the Citaiton’s suit. Citations owners say that they didn’t violate any North Carolina statutes, even if a crewmember did, so they shouldn’t be punished.

Big Rock still maintains that Citation had plenty of time to get familiar with the rules.

One last chance was at the Capitan’s meeting the night before the tournament began.

Big rock contends at that meeting tournament officials told everyone to make sure they had a license or it could cost them the 1-million dollar prize.

They say no one from Citation made it to that meeting.

And so a million dollar prize sits in limbo, with the strong possibility the courts will decide the winner.

A judge in the case has halted the distribution of prize money to anyone until a ruling has been made.

Both sides are expected to meet on Friday to discuss a possible out of court solution. Lawyers on both sides tell us regardless their fight presses on.