BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhuanet) -- A New Zealand opera diva came out on top in a lawsuit that sought damages from her because she canceled appearances with an Australian pop singer after she saw a DVD that showed women throwing their underwear at him on stage.

    The New South Wales state Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit against Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, which asked for up to 1.5 million U.S. dollars in damages. Te Kanawa was sued by concert promotion company Leading Edge after the planned concerts in 2005 with singer John Farnham were called off.

    Judge Patricia Bergin found there was no binding contract between Te Kanawa and Leading Edge at the time she pulled out of plans for the concerts in Australia and her native New Zealand.

    Although Bergin dismissed the breach of contract claim, she ordered Te Kanawa's company, Mittane, to pay 102,000 dollars to Leading Edge for costs. Bergin said Mittane was not truthful to Leading Edge about her reasons for withdrawing.

    The trial made headlines when the 63-year-old soprano testified she watched a Farnham concert on DVD and was disturbed by what she saw.

    "I was concerned about the knickers or underpants ... being thrown at him and him collecting it and ... holding it in his hands as some sort of trophy," said the singer, whose international performances included the 1981 wedding of Britain's Prince Charles and Diana Spencer.

    "How could I, in my classical form, perform in this way?" she asked the court in February.

    While Te Kanawa had reservations about the underwear, the judge found they were not the main reason she pulled out.

    Bergin said Te Kanawa had become "extremely resentful" that Farnham failed to attend a planning meeting with her. Farnham, 57, has enjoyed a 30-plus year career in Australia, where he is known as "The Voice."

    (Agencies)