• Ad Age, Friday, March 16, 2007 11:45 AM

WPP Group CEO Martin Sorrell testified yesterday that the former wife of Marco Benatti--who Sorrell fired as WPP's country manager for Italy in Jan. 2006--had warned him that Benatti had threatened to kill him. Sorrell took the stand in London during the first day of a libel trial he initiated against Benatti and Marco Tinelli, president-CEO of the FullSix media company started by Benatti and partly owned by WPP.

After the disclosure, the judge cleared the courtroom of journalists and was closeted in a closed session with both sides' legal teams for about half an hour. The trial revolves around the dissemination of e-mails, a blog and a "photo grossly intruding into the private lives of Sir Martin and Miss [Daniela] Weber." Weber, the former COO of WPP Italy, was closely associated with Sorrell and Benatti. In addition, Tinelli allegedly referred to Sorrell and Weber as "the mad dwarf and the nympho schizo."

The trial is expected to last three weeks, with Benatti testifying next week. Calls to both legal teams were not returned.

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