Sandra Muller, woman behind French #MeToo movement, found guilty of defaming media executive
- Sandra Muller calls verdict in favour of Eric Brion a ‘backwards step’ and vows to appeal
A woman who launched a French version of the #MeToo campaign to expose abusive male behaviour has been found guilty of defaming a media executive she accused of making lewd and sexist remarks.
Sandra Muller said Eric Brion had humiliated her with sexual remarks at a function in Cannes in 2012. She was ordered to pay €15,000 (US$16,400) in damages to the executive and €5,000 in legal fees, and was also told to delete a tweet about him and publish the statements issued by the court on her Twitter account and in two press outlets.
Muller, a French journalist based in the US, vowed to appeal. She called the verdict a “backwards step” against the force of an “amazing movement” and said women must “continue the fight”.
Her lawyer, Francis Szpiner, said the verdict was out of keeping with current times and a “regression”.
TIME magazine featured Muller among #MeToo “silence breakers” in its 2017 “Person of the Year” edition