Trial against Zverev halted: Agreement reached with former partner.

The Tiergarten District Court has issued a decision. - Trial against Zverev halted: Agreement reached with former partner.

The court hearing for German tennis pro Alexander Zverev came to an unexpected end: The case against him and his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Patea, has now been closed after just three days. On Friday, the Tiergarten district court decided to impose a 200,000 euro fine - 150,000 euros of which would go to the state treasury, and 50,000 euros to charity. This decision followed an out-of-court agreement between the two parties.

There was no verdict of guilt. By agreeing to pay the fine, Zverev was not admitting to any wrongdoing. The court, the defense lawyers for Zverev, and Brenda Patea's defense attorney all agreed to this arrangement to put an end to their ongoing conflicts. Both parties preferred a peaceful resolution, according to the court. Patea stated that she no longer wanted to continue with the prosecution, being the reason why the proceedings were ceased upon the prosecutor's request. Assured that this was not an admission of guilt, the judge presiding over the case emphasized that Zverev was still considered innocent.

Previously, in October 2023, the court had convicted Zverev in absentia for assault, ordering him to pay a fine of 450,000 euros (equivalent to 90 days of fines of 5,000 euros each). However, Zverev disagreed and appealed the case, leading to this trial. The Olympian didn't make a personal appearance in court as he was participating in the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, which took place in Paris.

The case attracted significant media attention as it involved Zverev and Patea, who had split after an eight-month relationship. A custody dispute was also a factor in this entire situation.

Zverev's defense attorneys declared on the very first day of the trial in Berlin's Tiergarten district court that the accusations against him were unfounded. Patea's attorney argued that there was an attempt to discredit her client and stress her for weeks, hoping to put her under psychological pressure. Patea testified privately for over two and a half hours on a Monday, after which she claimed to be unwell.

Ultimately, there was no verdict on guilt or innocence delivered in the trial. Judge Barbara Lueders elaborated on the recent progress in resolving the two parties' ongoing disputes by saying, "In the past few days, talks took place between the lawyers representing Zverev and Patea to end all disputes on every level where there have been disputes over the last few years." The aim was to reach an out-of-court settlement to end the various disputes and not get caught up in lengthy public arguments.

Lueders added, "I also appreciate the settlement because both sides could potentially sustain harm to their reputation and personally if the legal dispute had persisted." It's heartening to think of how it might have played out if the legal case had continued.

Lastly, the public prosecutor had previously expressed a desire to stop the proceedings due to Patea no longer having any interest in pursuing prosecution. This led to a reconsideration and approval for the closure of the case resulting in a fine. Regarding the alleged physical injury in May 2020 at a rented Airbnb apartment in Berlin, the court spokesperson stated, "It's still open what occurred."

Read also:

1. Despite the 200,000 euro fine imposed by the Tiergarten Local Court, Alexander Zverev maintains his innocence in the conflict with his former girlfriend.
2. The people of Germany and France followed the court processes keenly, as the case involved their beloved tennis star, Alexander Zverev.
3. The German public prosecutor's office requested a halt in the proceedings against Zverev, given that his girlfriend, Brenda Patea, no longer wished to pursue the prosecution.
4. The Tiergarten District Court's decision in favor of Zverev prevented a bodily injury-related guilty verdict from affecting his reputation in the sporting world and beyond.
5. In an unexpected turn of events, theTIergarten Local Court decided to use a portion of the fine imposed on Zverev to contribute to charity, showing consideration for the conflict's impact on the community.
6. The agreeable resolution at the Tiergarten Local Court brought an end to the ongoing legal disputes between Zverev and Patea, allowing both to move forward in their personal lives and in their respective tennis careers.

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