The legal dispute over the late Diego Armando Maradona's trademark has escalated into a trial of seven specialist doctors accused of negligence and causing his death, following the testimony of his younger sister yesterday.
Maradona's image rights are owned by Sattvica, a company in which the late player's two sisters and lawyer Matías Morla are shareholders. None of Maradona's five children benefit from the rights.
A Buenos Aires court declared a recess on Thursday after a heated argument between lawyers, one of whom asked Claudia Nora Maradona if she had reached an agreement with her brother before his death.
Nora replied, "First, we received many gifts during his life, and then he left us his brand."
Maradona, who led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title, died on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60.
"He left me the rights and told me so," Claudia testified, adding that she receives a monthly salary in return.
Ana and Rita Maradona, the late star's sisters, and his ex-wife, Veronica Ojeda, are expected to testify later.
According to the public prosecutor, seven doctors are accused of medical negligence, including a neurosurgeon, a psychiatrist, and doctors and nurses who cared for the Argentine superstar. They are accused of failing to provide adequate care, leading to his death.