After the completion of the races the battle returned to the courts and on 28 March 1989 the cup was awarded to New Zealand on the basis that the competition between a monohull and a catamaran was a gross mismatch and not in the spirit of friendly competition between countries. However the Appellate Division reversed that ruling, saying the Deed of Gift does not limit design or say anything about the number of hulls a yacht may have, and the reversal was confirmed on 26 April 1990 by the New York Court of Appeals. Thus San Diego retained the cup, defending it again at the 1992 America's Cup.