May 22, 2013
There's no dispute that the crew of the fishing charter boat Citation caught a prize-worthy, 880-pound marlin in June 2010. In their case, it wasn't the fish but the $910,000 tournament prize that got away.
The North Carolina Supreme Court is hearing a court fight Tuesday over whether the Citation's owners can keep and divide the prize money from one of the country's richest deep-sea fishing tournaments.
Big Rock Tournament officials stripped the Hatteras-based boat of the title and $910,000 in winnings because its Virginia-based first mate did not have a North Carolina fishing license when the fish was hooked.
Among the issues are whether the local judge who decided the case should have been involved, since his former law partner and vacation buddy represented the second-place boat.
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