Marine conservationist and Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson has been accused of sabotaging the vessel 'Ady Gil' as a publicity stunt to draw attention to his organisation's battle against whaling and to boost his fundraising efforts.
The 62-year-old is being sued by the vessel's owner and namesake, Ady Gil who loaned the boat to the crew and cast of the Animal Planet television show Whale Wars.
A lawsuit was filed by Mr Gil on Monday at a Los Angeles court seeking USD5.0 million in damages from Mr Watson, who is a co-founder of Greenpeace and head of the Sea Shepherd Society.
Mr Gil, a Los Angeles-based millionaire businessman, contends that the boat only had damage to the nose after it was rammed by Japanese fisherman in 2010 and could have been repaired.
Gil donated USD1.0 million to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which named the black trimaran – a three hulled craft – after him.
Watson resigned from his role as head of the Sea Shepherd society this week.
Source: Sail-World
Image Source: Whale Wars (Animal Planet)
