WEST CHESTER, Pa- – Alexander Zdrok appeared calm Tuesday morning as he entered the courtroom with lawyer Elliot Goldberg for the second day of trial in his suit against ex-wife and adult film actress, Victoria Zdrok. He did not chew on a lollipop, as he had on Monday, but allowed only a sly grin, almost as if he knew what was to come.
The ex-Golden Glove boxer turned mob defense attorney turned entertainment agent was in the heat of a financial battle with his ex-wife, a Ukrainian immigrant turned Playboy Playmate turned law student.
By the end of the day, the battle had been resolved: Alexander Zdrok received $50,000 to drop the lawsuit and the divorce property settlement was canceled.
Both sides seemed satisfied enough with the outcome.
“Rather than be chasing it for another five years, yeah, I felt that I prevailed,” Alexander Zdrok said.
“We were not unhappy, but we’re not exactly celebrating either,” Stephen Sloca, Victoria Zdrock’s attorney, said. “It’s more money than we’d like to pay, but less than we could have paid.”
Why didn’t Alexander Zdrok and his ex-wife come to a settlement earlier? The defense said that the plaintiff was asking for money that just was not there.
“He wanted it all now. He had delusions that I was making millions and hiding it,” Victoria Zdrok said.
At issue was a 1996 divorce property settlement, in which Victoria Zdrok agreed to pay Alexander Zdrok 15 percent of her revenue from “pictorials, television, national and international films” and related ventures for a decade after the divorce.
“I didn’t expect to have to be his indentured servant for the next 10 years of my life,” Victoria Zdrok said Monday.
Eventually, the debate centered not on the specifics of the agreement, but on the circumstances under which it was signed.
Victoria Zdrok argued that Alexander Zdrok forced her to sign the property settlement under threat of injury and death. She also said she was denied legal counsel.
“I think he really bullied me into signing,” Victoria Zdrok said.
Goldberg and Alexander Zdrok claimed that Victoria Zdrok was careless in signing the agreement. They said she was eager to end the marriage and she knowingly waived her right to a lawyer.
It appeared sparks would be flying during the trial, especially with Sloca, who is also Victoria Zdrok’s agent, andAlexander Zdrok’s ex-fiancee, who was set to testify.
But before things could get under way, Common Pleas Judge Jacqueline Carroll Cody discovered that Sloca was not authorized to practice law in Pennsylvania.
Sloca, a member of the California Bar, was representing Victoria Zdrok “pro hoc vice,” which means he can practice law in Pennsylvania with the direction of a local attorney. Sloca had not, however, adhered to an agreement with his local counsel, Jeff Lewis of McKissock & Hoffman.
Sloca never entered a motion of appearance. Nor had he paid legal fees to Lewis and his firm, which explained why he could not produce labeled exhibits from the previous hearing.
Cody was less than pleased.
“At this point it appears you’ve worn out your welcome, sir,” she told Sloca. “You need to have local counsel. I will not continue with you in this courtroom when you have failed to meet the arrangement.”
And just when it looked like the trial itself was in jeopardy, Alexander Zdrok and Victoria Zdrok did what they had failed to do so many times before: they reached a settlement.
“I thought it was fair, given how difficult and unreasonable he was,” Victoria Zdrok said. “I consider it my gift to him. I hope that he does something useful with it.”
“The judge helped by sharing thoughts on the strength of each side’s case,” added Sloca. “Without hearing the evidence she heard yesterday, she wouldn’t have had that influence and we wouldn’t have settled.”
And so came the anticlimactic close to what would have been an ugly courtroom fight.
“We’re pleased it is over and people can go on with their lives,” Goldberg said. “If the judge had proceeded, there would be a lot more to come. You’ve been deprived of some juicy stuff that was about to come to fruition.”