Christensen Responds to Woods Lawsuit; Describes Complaint as 'Frivolous and Misguided'

VANCOUVER, Wash., Oct. 7, 2005 -- Calling the 2004 breach of contract lawsuit filed by golfer Tiger Woods "frivolous and misguided," Vancouver, Washington-based Christensen Shipyards, Ltd. today said the company fully expects to be vindicated when the case goes to trial next year. "We are looking forward to proving we did nothing wrong," said Joe Foggia, Christensen's President and Chief Operating Officer. "In fact," Foggia added, "our company went above and beyond the terms of the contract in protecting Mr. Woods' privacy."

The lawsuit alleges that Christensen violated Woods' "right of publicity" by using photographs of the yacht in its marketing efforts and by disclosing the name of its famous customer. In its answer to the Complaint, Christensen denies these claims.

Mr. and Mrs. Woods are seeking more than $50 million in damages from the privately held Washington state company, "without any explanation to support such a claim," according to Christensen's legal counsel, Casey Marshall of the Vancouver-based firm of English, Lane, and Marshall, PLLC.

The contract makes it clear that Christensen had a definite right to take and use photographs of the yacht during construction, and before and after delivery to the buyer, "for purposes of Builder's publishing, trade, advertising, or general purpose, along with printed matter," Marshall said.

Foggia added, "The contract we signed with Mr. Woods makes the parties' rights crystal clear. We, as a company, lived up to our side of the bargain -- as we always do. This lawsuit calls into question whether Mr. and Mrs. Woods read the contract that their representatives signed."

   Contacts:
   Jeanne McKnight
   Gretchen Aliabadi
   Strategies 360 - Seattle
   (206) 282-1990