VETERAN rock star Jerry Lee Lewis must travel to Dublin on Thursday to give evidence in a High Court case in which he is being sued for damages or face the consequences. Mr Justice Kelly ruled yesterday.
The High Court judge rejected an application by counsel for Mr Lewis for a further adjournment of the hearing.
Mr Lewis is being sued by a German company, Neue Constant in Film Production GmbH which claims the performer failed to fulfil an engagement in Munich on January 14th, 1993. Mr Lewis is being sued in the Irish courts because he was living at Westminster Road, Foxrock, Co Dublin, at the time. The singer denies the German company's allegations.
The company wants to cross examine Mr Lewis about his claim that he was unaware of the concert date and that if his agents organised such a concert they had no authority to do so, their authority having been terminated at the time.
The court was told there had been a number of adjournments of the action due to the singer's ill health. He had suffered from a heart condition. Mr Lewis's US lawyers had received letters from a doctor in the Memphis Methodist Hospital which stated that under no circumstances should Mr Lewis travel over the next two months.
Yesterday, when the case came before Mr Justice Kelly, Mr Bernard Quirke, counsel for Mr Lewis, said he wanted to withdraw the application for the appointment of a commissioner to cross examine Mr Lewis in the US and apply instead for a further adjournment of the hearing until June 16th or July 29th.
Mr Denis McDonald, counsel for Neue Constantin Film Production GmbH, produced newspaper reports concerning concerts Mr Lewis had given at venues in Connecticut, Massachusetts, last Friday and Saturday.