Man sues woman for false accusation

[Samuelx]

Flatley Hopes to Become 'Lord of the Courtroom'
The Associated Press
Friday, July 28, 2006; 11:20 AM


LOS ANGELES -- Michael Flatley has won a court ruling that allows him to sue a woman who claimed he had raped her.

The state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Flatley's $100 million extortion and defamation lawsuit against Tyna Marie Robertson can proceed to trial.


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Flatley, 48, is the former star of the Irish dance spectacle "Riverdance." He has gone on to create his own shows, "Lord of the Dance," "Feet of Flames" and "Celtic Tiger."

The lawsuit was triggered by a January 2003 letter Flatley received from the woman's attorney alleging the dancer had raped her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2002.

In the letter and on subsequent phone calls, Robertson's attorney, D. Dean Mauro, threatened to file a sexual assault lawsuit unless Flatley agreed to a "seven figures" settlement, according to court papers.

Police declined to press criminal charges and Flatley said the sex was consensual.

Robertson then filed a $33 million civil sexual assault lawsuit in Illinois, but it was later dismissed. Flatley countered with a lawsuit claiming extortion, fraud and defamation.

Lawyers for Robertson and Mauro argued that the lawsuit brought by Flatley should be thrown out because the letter was a settlement offer and was protected under the First Amendment.

The state Supreme Court rejected the argument.


Irish American dancer Michael Flatley, known for his works River Dance and Lord of the Dance, is seen at Madison Square Garden in New York, in a Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2005 file photo. Flatley won a California State Supreme Court ruling Thursday, July 27 2006, in Los Angeles, Calif., that allows him to sue a woman who claimed he had raped her. (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams, File)(Henny Ray Abrams)
"Mauro's communications constituted criminal extortion as a matter of law and, as such, were unprotected by constitutional guarantees of free speech or petition," the six-member panel wrote.

An after-hours call to Mauro's lawyer, James Holmes, was not immediately returned.

Flatley's Los Angeles-based attorney, Bert Fields, said the decision will help celebrities who are sometimes the target of false allegations.

"Celebrities are so frequently targeted with claims that they've committed some kind of misconduct, usually of a sexual nature," Fields said. "Because of the (state) Supreme Court ruling, we can make these people go to trial and prove our case."

 

[Samuelx]

Women sexually harassing Men

Sexual harassment of men revealed

Gaby Hinsliff, political editor
Sunday June 25, 2006
The Observer


A hidden world of sexual harassment, with female managers exploiting their power over men in the office, has been unveiled by a new government survey.
Despite the common stereotype of the male executive putting pressure on his secretary, two in five victims of sexual harassment are men, the study found.

A quarter of the men questioned in the Department of Trade and Industry survey reported being pestered by a client whom they also felt obliged to please.

According to the Equal Opportunities Commission, 8 per cent of calls to its sexual harassment helpline are from men, even though research shows male victims are less likely than women to complain. It insists that male complaints should be taken just as seriously. 'It affects both women and men, causing stress, health problems and financial penalties when they leave their jobs to avoid it,' said Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC.

Legally, sexual harassment is defined not just as lecherous behaviour such as groping, but as any form of denigration of workers because of their sex. Male victims were more likely than women to complain of the second kind of harassment - where a female manager treats women more favourably then men or criticises male employees more regularly.

The survey concluded that while the vast majority of Britons do not suffer discrimination, a 'sizeable minority' had suffered: 0.7 per cent of men and 1.1 per cent of women said they had been sexually harassed within the last two years.

The government is giving £1m to a 'dignity at work' project led by the trade union Amicus.

The survey found that 6.9 per cent considered they had been unfairly treated at work for some reason - including some on grounds not currently recognised in law, such as their social class.

More workers complained about discrimination on the grounds of their accent or the way they spoke than because of race, gender, pregnancy or religion - all potential areas of discrimination banned by law, unlike accents.

Last week, Adrian Chiles - the first host of a BBC TV prime time programme with a distinct Birmingham accent - said he believed that 'people assume you're thick' when they hear that accent.

 

[Ulaven_Demorte]

*GASP*

Oh my god.. You mean some women lie and others sexually harass men?
Surely this had to be a one way street.. Who woulda thunk it.