[ad_1]
A billionaire British businessman could have obtained a court order preventing the British press from reporting allegations of sexual misconduct and racial harassment – a case that raises issues of freedom of expression and freedom of the press at the time of #MeToo.
Sir Philip Green, the owner of Topshop, was named Thursday as the business man in question. The allegations against the businessman have been reported for the first time by the The telegraph of the day London on Wednesday, but Green could not be named because of the court order.
Lord Peter Hain, a member of the House of Lords of the British Parliament, has used the long-standing rule of parliamentary privilege to appoint Green. The rule allows legislators to avoid prosecution for everything they say in the House – a convention designed to protect democratic society. This means that the media is able to report his name for the first time.
"I think I have the privilege of naming Philip Green as the individual in question, since the media was the subject of an injunction preventing the publication of all the details. of a story, which is clearly in the public interest, "Lord Hain said. .
In a statement to the British press, Green denied the allegations of "illegal sexual or racist behavior":
"I do not comment on anything that happened in court or that was told in Parliament today. To the extent that it is suggested that I have been guilty of illegal sexual or racist behavior, I categorically and totally deny these allegations. Arcadia and I take the accusations and grievances of the employees very seriously and, if warranted, a full investigation is opened. Arcadia employs more than 20,000 people and, like many large companies, sometimes receives formal complaints from its employees. In some cases, these are settled with the agreement of all parties and their legal advisers. These regulations are confidential, so I can not say more. "
The ordinance is a quirk of the UK media law, which allows the courts to prevent the press from reporting a nondisclosure agreement or other information considered a invasion of privacy. In the United Kingdom, the media is more constrained by what they can say than in the United States, where the First Amendment protects press freedom. The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled against "the prior restraint" preventing the publication of information.
Critics say that the #MeToo movement has not taken off in the UK as much as it does in the United States because of these rules.
Green has been accused of sexually and racially harassing members of his staff, as well as intimidating them into a series of court settlements, according to the Telegraph, who could not name him in his reports. Wednesday, the Telegraph Green revealed – then unnamed – had made at least five "substantial payments" to victims under non-disclosure agreements.
As part of its coverage, the Telegraph also interviewed a woman who had detailed allegations of sexual harassment – but neither the newspaper nor the woman was able to tell if Green was the suspect. The details of the accusations in the center of the disputes are still unknown. The woman was not involved in the trials, so the Telegraph was able to report his allegations.
the Telegraph said that Green had spent nearly $ 640,000 in legal fees to prevent his name from going out.
The Telegraph's first report on Wednesday caused a stir in Britain. After publication, Prime Minister Theresa May announced that she would act to reform the "unethical" use of confidentiality agreements. Opposition lawmaker, Jess Phillips, said: "We are one year away from MeToo and nothing has changed."
Source link
