Funny, pathetic, stunning, nauseating, weird, pick an adjective this story is all of the above; and Yes that's a tiny little Marlin they killed for money.
White Marlin Open Controversy Ends, Judge Rules in Favor of Tournament
The controversy surrounding a 76.5-pound white marlin comes to a close in Maryland court
Phillip Heasley and the Kallianassa team landed the only qualifying white marlin in the 2016 White Marlin Open, but a federal judge has ruled that the team will not receive $2.8 million in prize money due to a rules infraction.
A federal judge has ruled in favor of the White Marlin Open tournament, saying the event correctly applied its rules in the case against Phillip Heasley and the crew of Kallianassa, who landed the only qualifying white marlin in the 2016 tournament. Heasley later failed multiple polygraph examinations and was not awarded the overall prize for the biggest white marlin of more than $2.8 million. During the two-week trial, the judge determined that Kallianassa had started fishing before the tournament’s official start time on the day they landed their 76.5-pound white marlin, thus disqualifying the catch.
“We are incredibly relieved that we can finally put this behind us and start moving forward again,” says Jim Motsko, co-founder and tournament director of the White Marlin Open, an event with a long and storied history. “This ruling upholds the integrity of the tournament and the value of polygraph examinations, and it also proves that we did the right thing. The judge and the lawyers believed in us, and we feel like the weight of the world is off our shoulders.” He did say that Heasley has 30 days to appeal for judicial error.
The ruling is also important for other tournaments that award substantial cash prizes and use polygraph examinations as a method of determining the outcome. “If the judge had not allowed the polygraph testimony, it would open a can of worms,” Motsko says, “but in this case the judge felt that our use of polygraph as a tool was justified in determining whether or not they had broken the rules.”
According to the judge’s ruling, the decision only governs whether Heasley would receive the prize money. Another decision will determine how the $2.8 million will be divided among the other tournament winners.
Motsko says he looks forward to hosting the 2017 White Marlin Open, slated for August 7-11, 2017 in Ocean City, Maryland.
White Marlin Open Controversy Ends, Judge Rules in Favor of Tournament
The controversy surrounding a 76.5-pound white marlin comes to a close in Maryland court
Phillip Heasley and the Kallianassa team landed the only qualifying white marlin in the 2016 White Marlin Open, but a federal judge has ruled that the team will not receive $2.8 million in prize money due to a rules infraction.
A federal judge has ruled in favor of the White Marlin Open tournament, saying the event correctly applied its rules in the case against Phillip Heasley and the crew of Kallianassa, who landed the only qualifying white marlin in the 2016 tournament. Heasley later failed multiple polygraph examinations and was not awarded the overall prize for the biggest white marlin of more than $2.8 million. During the two-week trial, the judge determined that Kallianassa had started fishing before the tournament’s official start time on the day they landed their 76.5-pound white marlin, thus disqualifying the catch.
“We are incredibly relieved that we can finally put this behind us and start moving forward again,” says Jim Motsko, co-founder and tournament director of the White Marlin Open, an event with a long and storied history. “This ruling upholds the integrity of the tournament and the value of polygraph examinations, and it also proves that we did the right thing. The judge and the lawyers believed in us, and we feel like the weight of the world is off our shoulders.” He did say that Heasley has 30 days to appeal for judicial error.
The ruling is also important for other tournaments that award substantial cash prizes and use polygraph examinations as a method of determining the outcome. “If the judge had not allowed the polygraph testimony, it would open a can of worms,” Motsko says, “but in this case the judge felt that our use of polygraph as a tool was justified in determining whether or not they had broken the rules.”
According to the judge’s ruling, the decision only governs whether Heasley would receive the prize money. Another decision will determine how the $2.8 million will be divided among the other tournament winners.
Motsko says he looks forward to hosting the 2017 White Marlin Open, slated for August 7-11, 2017 in Ocean City, Maryland.