Dec. No. 5946/212/2015

Dec. No. 5946/212/2015
Alexandra Stan (right) was involved in the court case along with Marcel Prodan (left).
Court Curtea de Apel Constanța[1]
Full case name 5946/212/2015[1]
Decided 21 December 2016[1]

Dec. No. 5946/212/2015 refers to a Curtea de Apel Constanța (Constanța Court of Appeal) lawsuit in which Romanian singer Alexandra Stan accused her impresario Marcel Prodan of blackmail, battery, deception and tax evasion. In June 2013, Stan and Prodan were travelling in a car on the Autostrada Soarelui (Sun Motorway) between Constanța and Valu lui Traian. They were stopped by police officers who found them fighting and Stan was taken to hospital. The singer later appeared on national television with evidence of assault visible on her face, generating media attention in Romania. Observers were generally on Stan's side.

According to the singer, the incident occurred after she asked Prodan for her earnings; he reacted violently and asaulted her. Prodan said he had acted in self-defence after Stan hit him in his car and threatened to commit suicide. After several hearings with magistrates, Prodan received a seven-month suspended sentence for "the crime of battery or other violence" and was assessed damages. The court ruled Stan's other accusations were groundless and she was fined court costs, although Prodan's fines were later increased. This decision was handed down by the court on 21 December 2016.

Background

The Autostrada Soarelui, where a car containing Stan and Prodan was stopped by police and the singer taken to hospital

In 2009, Alexandra Stan was discovered at a karaoke bar by Romanian producers and songwriters Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi, who offered her a record deal with their label Maan Records. That year she recorded a promotional single, "Show Me The Way".[2] In 2011, Stan's single "Mr. Saxobeat" topped the Romanian Top 100 chart for eight consecutive weeks.[3] The song was also commercially successful abroad, topping record charts in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Slovakia, Switzerland and Turkey.[4][5][6] It was the first Romanian song to top the German Singles Chart since O-Zone's "Dragostea Din Tei" in 2004.[7]

According to spokesmen for the Poliţia Judeţeană Constanţa (Constanţa Country Police Department), on 16 June 2013,[8] Stan was picked up from the Autostrada Soarelui (Sun Motorway), which connects the cities of Constanța and Valu lui Traian, at about 19:00 by Poliția Rutieră (traffic police), who saw a man and a woman fighting in a car on the shoulder of the motorway. The parties were identified as Stan and Prodan; Stan had visible evidence of physical assault (facial bruises), prompting the police to suggest she be taken to hospital and possibly file a complaint against her assailant. Stan was taken to Spitalul Clinic Judeţean de Urgenţă Constanţa (Constanța County Emergency Hospital), where she was treated and released.[9]

Allegations and hearings

After Stan was taken to another hospital in Medgidia, she accused Prodan of physical abuse,[10] and later filed complaints of blackmail, battery, deception and tax evasion.[10][11] Stan insisted that a message that she would cancel concerts because of a traffic accident was posted by Prodan on her social media and was untrue.[8] Prodan did not immediately respond to the accusations and could not be reached by email or telephone.[8] According to Stan, Prodan beat her to intimidate her about demanding money, a reported €40,000 earned from her concerts.[10][12] At the hospital, Stan consulted a physiologist, an ophthalmologist and a neurologist.[10] She also appeared on national television, attracting media coverage in Romania.[8]

In November 2014, judges from Constanța decided not to prosecute Prodan for Stan's complaint due to a lack of physical evidence;[12] however, in June 2015 a preliminary hearing with magistrates was held. Prodan testified that he and Stan had "more than a professional relationship", which he planned to end. According to him, the incident began when he told Stan in his recording studio that she had sung poorly. Prodan alleged that Stan did not want to leave and he stated that he pushed her towards the exit. Prodan also stated that Stan slipped on a wet floor while trying to hit him. When describing the events in his car, Prodan said Stan began kicking him; he defended himself, slapping her when she jerked the steering wheel to the right. Prodan testified that Stan cried, said she wanted to commit suicide and opened the door to jump out of the car; he grabbed her hand and stopped. Stan, weeping during the hearing, said Prodan threw her into his car and struck her multiple times during the trip; in shock, she jerked the wheel to get out of the car. She denied their relationship extended beyond business.[13]

In another hearing in late December 2015, Stan attended with her new boyfriend; during that hearing, the singer demanded more than €1 million in damages from Prodan. Prodan's ex-wife and Nicolae Nemirschi, the father of Prodan's songwriting and producing collaborator, Andrei Nemirschi, were also present, and they testified that the singer had an affair with Prodan, which Stan denied. Prodan's ex-wife said that their marriage ended after she placed a recording device in Prodan's car which provided evidence of his romantic relationship with Stan.[14] On 19 February 2016, Prodan received a seven-month suspended sentence for "the crime of battery or other violence" and was ordered to pay Stan €193 for medical care and €10,000 in damages.[15] The court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to support the other accusations made by the singer, and it was reported in late November 2016 that Stan was assessed €500 in court costs.[16] On appeal, her damage award from Prodan[17] was increased to €25,000.[1] That decision was finalised by the court on 21 December 2016.[1]

After Stan's recovery, Prodan sued her for using his songs in her live performances,[18] a copyright battle she eventually won in June 2014.[19] In February 2016, representatives of the law firm that represented Stan during her court process with Prodan filed suit against her alleging she failed to pay some fees. The judges dismissed the suit but the law firm filed an appeal of the decision.[11]

Romanian commentator Mircea Toma said, "The [Romanian] media treat this subject in a derisory way. A woman who is beaten is subject of irony, something sensationalist and the violence itself is not condemned. [The Romanians] have an archaic, patriarchal mentality, and it would be good for her to go all the way to get justice and a good opportunity for society to debate domestic violence."[8] Stan received support from her fans and death threats against Prodan were posted on her social media accounts.[20] Prodan's former neighbours in Vișina—which he still visited at the time—were generally antagonistic to Stan, calling Prodan a "quiet boy" and suggesting she probably deserved the beating.[21] In late 2013 Stan launched an anti-domestic violence campaign called "Nu bate! Mai bine cântă!".[22] Her 2014 song "Thanks for Leaving" alludes to her recovery from the violent incident with Prodan.[23][24] Gheorghe Chelu of Click! magazine associated the title of Stan's 2017 single "9 Lives" with the case, saying, "no trouble has ever managed to bring her down".[25]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Informații dosar – 5946/212/2015" (in Romanian). Curtea de Apel Constanța. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "O noua voce: Alexandra Stan" [A new singer: Alexandra Stan] (in Romanian). Urban.ro. 25 November 2009. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "AllMusic: Alexandra Stan". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Alexandra Stan – Mr. Saxobeat" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  5. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ". Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 10 January 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2016. Note: insert 201114 into search.
  7. ↑ "Alexandra Stan, despre cel care a desfigurat-o: "Am fost indragostita de el. El ma numea sclava lui"" [Alexandra Stan on the guy that disfigured her: "I was in love with him. He named me his slave."] (in Romanian). Știrile Pro TV. Archived from the original on 29 December 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 The Associated Press (18 June 2013). "Romanian singer Alexandra Stan claims manager-boyfriend beat her up after fight over money". New York Daily News. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  9. ↑ Legănel, Cătălin (17 June 2013). "Alexandra Stan, desfigurată după ce ar fi fost bătută de manager" [Alexandra Stan, disfigured after her alleged fight with her manager] (in Romanian). Mediafax. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Alexandra Stan a depus o plangere pentru santaj: "Nu dau inapoi". Prodan risca 6 ani de inchisoare" [Alexandra Stan filled a complaint for blackmail: "I won't go back". Prodan risks 6 years in jail] (in Romanian). Știrile Pro TV. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Alexandra Stan, la un pas de executare silită. Cum a ajuns în această situaţie" [Alexandra Stan, on the brink of foreclosure. How did she get in this situation?] (in Romanian). Ziarul Ring. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  12. 1 2 Costache, Alina (10 November 2014). "Verdict bizar: Alexandra Stan l-a agresat pe Marcel Prodan, care era "în legitimă apărare"" [Bizarre verdict: Alexandra Stan assaulted Marcel Prodan, who was in "self defense"] (in Romanian). Romania TV. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  13. ↑ "Prima intalnire in fata judecatorilor intre Alexandra Stan si Marcel Prodan" [First face-to-face meeting of Alexandra Stan and Marcel Prodan] (in Romanian). Radio FX. 4 June 2015. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  14. ↑ "Alexandra Stan ii cere daune de un milion de euro fostului manager, Marcel Prodan" [Alexandra Stan demands damage exceeding one million euros from past-manager Marcel Prodan] (in Romanian). Știrile Pro TV. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  15. ↑ Ștefan, Carmen (19 February 2016). "Impresarul Alexandrei Stan, 7 luni de închisoare cu suspendare" [Alexandra Stan's manager sentenced to 7 months of jail with suspension] (in Romanian). Click. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  16. ↑ "Alexandra Stan a pierdut procesul cu fostul impresar" [Alexandra Stan lost the process with her former manager] (in Romanian). Cotidianul. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  17. ↑ "Romanian singer Alexandra Stan's manager gets 7-month probation for beating her". Romania-Insider. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  18. ↑ "Probleme pentru Alexandra Stan! Data in judecata de Marcel Prodan!" [Problems for Alexandra Stan! She was sued by Marcel Prodan!] (in Romanian). Libertatea. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  19. ↑ "A castigat procesul cu Marcel Prodan, insa Alexandra Stan nu a scapat de probleme! Ce interdictie i-a pus celalalt fost manager" [She won the process with Marcel Prodan, but Alexandra Stan didn't get rid of problems! See what an interdiction her other manager set her] (in Romanian). Cancan. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  20. ↑ Costache, Alina (18 June 2013). "Marcel Prodan, managerul bătăuş al Alexandrei Stan, amenintat cu moartea" [Marcel Prodan, Stan's manager, threaten with death] (in Romanian). Romania TV. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  21. ↑ "Vecinii lui Marcel Prodan, declaratii scoante: "Nu o fi batut-o chiar degeaba pe Alexandra"" [The neighbors of Marcel Prodan make scandalous confessions: "Alexandra Stan probably deserved the beating"] (in Romanian). Kanal D. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  22. ↑ "Alexandra Stan a lansat campania impotriva violentei "Nu bate! Mai bine canta!"" [Alexandra Stan has released the campaign against violence "Don't beat! Sing!"] (in Romanian). Știrile Pro TV. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  23. ↑ "Mesajul Alexandrei Stan la sfârşit de relaţie: "Îţi mulţumesc că ai plecat"" [Alexandra Stan's message at the end of her relationship: "Thanks for leaving".] (in Romanian). Gândul. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  24. ↑ "Alexandra Stan rupe tăcerea! Vezi ce spune vedeta despre tragedia prin care a trecut acum un an" [Alexandra Stan breaks the silence! See what the star says about the tragedy she went through a year ago] (in Romanian). Click!. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  25. ↑ Chelu, Gheorghe (14 January 2017). "Alexandra Stan are "9 vieti", ca pisicile" [Alexandra Stan has "9 lives", like the cats] (in Romanian). Click!. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
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