It's a September tradition that concert promoters bring a soca superstar to Belize to perform for the celebration season. And in September of 2015, Trinidadian superstar, Destra Garcia, was the main attraction. And while concert goers danced away the early morning hours - one man ended up in the emergency room - and he sued Destra for personal injury.
He's Fernando Oliva, and in his civil claim against her, he and his attorneys told the court that Destra jumped on him, and ruptured his bladder.
With the help of videos posted by concert goers - Daniel Ortiz takes a closer look at the night which started as a soca party and ended in a lawsuit and emergency surgery:
Daniel Ortiz reporting
The Carnival Overload concert had concert-goers in a frenzy of excitement. As this amateur video shows, Destra had the crowd jumping to her song "Lucy" and other hits.
The highlite for Fernando Oliva should have been when he was called on stage to dance with Destra. He's seen here lying flat on the ground, and he thinks he's about to get a treat, gyrating with the Soca superstar.
Destra Garcia
"If you's bad boy, I will treat you bad! Treat him bad?"
Crowd
"Yay!"
Destra Garcia
"Relax, Relax...Keep still. Keep Still."
"Watch me how a whine - keep your eyes closed"
So, it's clearly evident that Oliva is enjoying himself, but then, it all goes wrong is at this this moment, when Destra jumps on top of him in a move closer to wrestling than Soca.
Destra Garcia
"Stay right deh"
Oliva jumps up off the ground, and he starts to dance, not realizing that he is hurt.
The effects of the impact to his midsection is almost immediately apparent, and Destra points it out.
Destra
"Dah so quick water has come out of your (Inaudible)?
He had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency medical care right after leave the stage. When Destra landed on him, his bladder ruptured and urine was leaking out.
After recovering, He sued the Soca superstar for personal injury, and last week Wednesday, Justice Courtney Able ruled that Destra should pay him just over $16,577.
Steve Perrera, attorney for Fernando Oliva
"She had asked him lay down on the ground to close his eyes and to put his hands behind his head and then thereafter suddenly Miss Garcia jumped in the air and landed on the client, thereby causing injury to him and as a result after the event, he had to seek medical attention at the hospital."
"Our claim is a situation of negligence. We are saying that the musician was negligent in her actions and her actions thereby caused injury to the individual."
Daniel Ortiz, 7News
"How will you all enforce this against her and can she appeal?"
Steve Perrera, attorney for Fernando Oliva
"We received a default judgement against Miss Destra Garcia last week and we are now in talks with attorneys in Trinidad to enforce the judgement in that jurisdiction."
Reporter
"How much was the judgement for?"
Steve Perrera, attorney for Fernando Oliva
"The judgement was for approximately $16,000."
Whether he'll get that money is unclear because Destra can appeal the judgement in Belize. And then, there are also the logistics of trying to get enforcement over in her home country of Trinidad and Tobago.
As you heard, Justice Courtney Able has ordered that Destra must pay Oliva a sum of $16,577 Belize. His attorney will now move to enforce the decision in Trinidad against the artist. Firstly, it is a default judgment, which means that she did not offer any defense. There may be a bit of uncertainty about whether or not she was actually served with the lawsuit in her home country. Perrera told us that he sought the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Trinidad and Tobago to actually serve her with the documents. As you can see, the Ministry employee says that she served her on May 4, 2017.
It is unclear if this is the end of this lawsuit, or if Destra and her attorneys will seek to fight it further.
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