The trial against the tennis pro ends without a verdict. Zverev and his ex-girlfriend reach an agreement outside of court, which should also put an end to other disputes, such as custody.
The criminal trial against German tennis pro Alexander Zverev on charges of bodily harm ended without a verdict on the third day. The Tiergarten District Court in Berlin closed the case in return for a fine.
Zverev must therefore pay a total of 200,000 euros. There was no conviction. Agreeing to pay a fine does not constitute an admission of guilt. Zverev is still considered innocent. The public prosecutor, Zverev’s defense and his ex-girlfriend as co-plaintiff agreed to this way of ending the proceedings. Both sides wanted to resolve the conflict peacefully, according to the court.
In October 2023, the court initially issued a penal order against Zverev for bodily harm without a trial. According to this, he was to pay a fine of 450,000 euros (90 daily rates of 5,000 euros each). He appealed against this. That is why the case was heard. Zverev himself did not appear in court. He is currently playing in the second Grand Slam tournament of the year in Paris.
Out-of-court talks
Judge Barbara Lüders said that in recent days there had been out-of-court talks between Zverev’s defense attorneys and the lawyers of his ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea to end all disputes. The aim was to reach an out-of-court settlement in order to end the various disputes of the past few years and to stop publicly accusing each other “and to look forward.”
Lüders added: “Also in the sense of joint custody for the child.” Both sides had signed an agreement to this effect, but this was not the subject of the trial.
She welcomed the agreement because otherwise both sides could have their reputations permanently damaged and personally burdened by the legal dispute, said the judge. “You can imagine how this would have continued.” The public prosecutor’s office then agreed not to pursue the criminal proceedings any further. Zverev must pay 150,000 euros to the judicial treasury and 50,000 euros to a charitable organization. A court spokeswoman said of the charge of bodily harm: “It is unclear what happened.”
The ex-girlfriend Patea had previously testified as a witness for two and a half hours in camera and then called in sick. On the first day of the trial a week ago, Zverev’s defense attorneys accused her of having fabricated the allegations of physical assault. Patea’s attorney then spoke of a campaign against her client to undermine her credibility and put her under psychological pressure.
Source: Stern
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