Latest news with #harassment
BreakingNews.ie
12 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Retired garda avoids jail for second time over harassment of woman
A retired detective garda who was facing jail time after he contacted a woman despite his conviction for harassing her has had his eight-month custodial sentence suspended on appeal. The District Court Appeals Court heard that Eamon Moran (51) has suffered ill health ever since he was attacked on a 2012 deportation flight and was recently in intensive care. Advertisement Moran, with an address in Perrystown, Dublin 12, harassed a woman by sending her unwanted texts and calls on dates between 2021 and 2023. He originally pleaded guilty before the District Court and was convicted of harassment under section 10.1 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, amended by the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020. He was sentenced to eight months in custody, which was fully suspended for two years on the condition that Moran would make no contact with the injured party and her family, would continue his medical rehabilitation and would stay one kilometre away from the injured party's home. His jail sentence was reactivated by Judge David McHugh at Blanchardstown District Court in October 2024 after the court heard Moran had contacted the woman by email and phone after his conviction. Advertisement The victim reported the breaches to gardaí, saying that his actions caused her some anxiety and stress. The court heard that Moran had sent an email and then called the victim on two different days in September 2024, which went unanswered. It was found that Moran had breached the conditions of his suspended sentence and he did not contest this in the District Court. Counsel for the appellant, Niamh Ní Aonghusa BL, on Thursday told the District Court Appeals Court that Moran 'misinterpreted this non-relationship' and is "very much apologetic" to the victim. She said he has no intention whatsoever to contact the victim again. Advertisement Ms Ní Aonghusa said that Moran's health has been in decline since an incident in 2012 in which he was on a flight that was deporting people in his duty as a garda when he was attacked by a man with a razor blade. She presented several letters from medical professionals which said that Moran suffered a stroke, had a hole in his heart and had a liver condition. Ireland Clare man punched retired judge outside café sayin... Read More She said that he was recently in intensive care in St James's Hospital and that the muscles in his legs have depreciated. Judge Sinéad McMullan said that this is 'obviously a very serious matter' and that no one should have to deal with harassment. She said there was a clear court order that Moran 'clearly breached', but she also took into account that he was recently very unhealthy. Judge McMullan decided to fully suspend the sentence of eight months for a period of two years on the condition that Moran in no way attempt to contact the injured party ever again, stay one kilometre away from her house, continue to receive medical attention and attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Justin Baldoni Scores Small Legal Win After Strong Message To Blake Lively
Justin Baldoni's strong message to Blake Lively seems to be already yielding fruit in court. The director received a favorable ruling in his ongoing court case involving his "It Ends With Us" co-star. He can now review private conversations between Taylor Swift and Lively about the case. Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's bitter legal dispute has reportedly had personal consequences, particularly for the friendship between Taylor Swift and the actress. Baldoni has now advanced further in the hot legal pursuit between himself and co-star Lively. Now, the director can review the conversations between the two friends to see what was said and what was not. The essence of this ruling is to help the court and Baldoni prove the validity of Lively's claims of harassment or otherwise- due to her closeness to the performer, a personal conversation may not be unusual. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman added that only relevant information to the case must be examined should Baldoni go through these private text messages. While Lively's legal team pulled all the strings to absolve Swift from this new ruling, their pleas were disregarded. Per Page Six, the movie star had earlier pleaded with the court to protect her interaction with Swift last Friday, noting that they are not crucial to the case. It all started when Lively accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her and proceeded to coordinate a smear campaign targeted at diminishing her career. Swift was then introduced to the mix when the director name-dropped her in his now-dismissed $400 million counter lawsuit. The singer even bagged a subpoena in May to testify as a witness in an upcoming trial for the case next year, but the request was subsequently dropped. According to Baldoni, Lively leveraged her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and her friend Swift's social currency to control things on the set of "It Ends With Us." He added that he was also invited as a guest to Lively and Reynold's home, where one of their "famous" close friends was present. There, the issue of rewriting movie scripts and readjusting the story was raised. Baldoni's attorney continued that Lively bragged about her husband and her billionaire friend during a conversation, referring to them as her "dragon." Bryan Freedman continued that Lively's statement was a subtle threat to his client, making him aware of his unsafe professional environment. Last week, The Blast shared that Baldoni suffered a crushing defeat in court on another lawsuit he dragged a news outlet to court for. On June 9, a federal judge threw out Baldoni's $250 million libel suit against The New York Times. The director also got his $400 million countersuit against Lively, her husband, and her publicist Leslie Sloane dismissed. This double defeat prompted a significant reaction from Lively. The actress' legal team tagged the ruling as a total victory and absolute vindication for their client. In her words on Instagram, she described Baldoni's suit as defeated. Despite the pronouncement, the judge states that the two major claims cited in Baldoni's countersuit, namely, breach of implied covenant and tortious interference, can be amended later this month. For that reason, Lively and her team have also been advised to slow down on the early celebration by an attorney who is not involved with the case. The lawyer told PEOPLE: "The decision is undoubtedly a blow to Baldoni. But the case is far from over. One thing I've learned many times over as a litigator is not to celebrate too early." Baldoni's loss in court did not surprise his legal team. According to them, it was more of a move for them to bring public awareness to the ongoing case, which they have achieved despite the dismissal. Freedman then took a jab at Lively and her legal team for their reaction to the ruling. "Lively and her team's predictable declaration of victory is false. Lively's allegations are no truer today than they were yesterday, and with the facts on our side, we march forward with the same confidence that we had when Ms. Lively and her cohorts initiated this battle," Freed notes." The lawyer continued that he, along with his team, was battle-ready for Lively's next line of action, including a deposition, which he would personally handle. As soon as the director files his amendments for claims that were dismissed, his lawyers expect his co-star to react by filing another motion to dismiss. In his ruling, the federal judge declared that neither Sloane nor the Times acted with intent to defame Baldoni. He added that the news agency also has no existing motive to agree with Lively's narrative or promote it. Lively looked radiant for her first appearance on the heels of Baldoni's loss in court. She took her victory lap at the Chanel Tribeca Festival Artists Dinner in New York City. The "Gossip Girl" actress looked ethereal in a white crochet outfit paired with her signature Christian Louboutin heels and Chanel accessories. She strutted her stuff on the carpet, serving killer angles to the teeming photographers. The actress was reportedly elated to get the $400 million lawsuit off her back for good and even cried with relief after hearing the verdict. What does June 23 have in store for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?
Telegraph
15 hours ago
- Telegraph
Gender-critical lawyer banned from vets denies abusing staff
A gender-critical lawyer has denied accusations of harassing staff at a veterinary practice from which she was banned. Allison Bailey, a retired criminal defence barrister, is suing Palmerston Veterinary Group's surgery in Walthamstow, east London, after she was 'expelled' from the practice for allegedly showing 'rude' behaviour towards staff. But Ms Bailey denies the allegation, claiming the real reason she was banned in January 2023 was because of her gender-critical beliefs. The barrister was previously involved in a high-profile dispute with her chambers and Stonewall, the LGBT rights group, over claims that she was discriminated against as she believes that being female is an 'immutable biological fact'. During her campaign, JK Rowling praised her as 'a heroine to me and innumerable other feminists'. Ms Bailey says her gender-critical views were opposed by Dr Liz Munro, a former staff member at the veterinary practice. Now the surgery is fighting Ms Bailey's claim, saying the reason she was told not to return was because of its 'zero tolerance policy' on abusive behaviour towards staff. While Ms Bailey insists she had a positive relationship with the practice, which treated her two dogs Poppy and Jonty for 13 years, it is claimed the client shouted at a practitioner when she was told that one of her pets was overweight. The court heard two recordings of phone calls between Ms Bailey and vet staff during which there was no obvious argument or conflict. In the witness box, the claimant refuted the allegations that she had been abusive towards members of staff. Ms Bailey also denied claims by the practice that one of its vets, Neil Hampson, had warned a receptionist that she could be 'very intimidating and quite scary'. She rejected suggestions of 'an incident where you lost your temper and shouted at him for saying that your dog was overweight'. 'Absolutely not,' she told the judge. 'Neither of my dogs could be described as overweight. I've never shouted or screamed at anyone in [the] veterinary practice.' She claimed that the vets had been extremely supportive in the run-up to her dog Poppy being put down in 2020, after which they even sent her a condolence card. Gus Baker, representing the veterinary surgery, told the judge: 'In this case, the claimant alleges that she was deregistered as a patient from the defendant's veterinary practice... because of her gender-critical beliefs. This is denied. 'It is surprising the allegation has ever been made in circumstances in which there is no documentary evidence to support the assertion the claimant makes.' Akua Reindorf KC, Ms Bailey's barrister, criticised the veterinary practice for failing to call key witnesses to give evidence, adding that no other clients had been expelled from the practice under the same circumstances. Ms Bailey's lawyers said there were 'a handful of times' where the claimant felt the practice's services were not up to standard, but these issues were then 'resolved to her satisfaction'. In a previous hearing, it was revealed that Ms Bailey was banned following an incident in January 2023 when she went to the practice to order worming and flea treatment for Jonty. Ms Bailey is alleged to have become 'very angry' when the medication she wanted wasn't available, asking the receptionist 'what she was going to do about it'. Ms Bailey was deregistered as a client on January 28, which was followed by a letter asking her to 'seek the services of another veterinary practice'.
BBC News
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Blake Lively and Taylor Swift messages can be included in Justin Baldoni legal case, judge rules
Messages between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift can be handed over to Justin Baldoni as part of his ongoing high-profile legal battle with the actress, a judge has between Lively and her friend Swift about the environment on the It Ends With Us film set are relevant to the case, US District Judge Lewis Liman ruled on Wednesday, according to team had applied to prevent Baldoni obtaining the messages, arguing they were sued Baldoni and his studio in December, alleging she was sexually harassed on set and that he led a campaign to "destroy" her reputation. He counter-sued, but his defamation lawsuit was dismissed by a judge last week. In May, Baldoni's lawyers tried to get hold of the the messages directly from Swift herself by sending subpoenas to the pop star and her legal the subpoenas were dropped after Swift's legal team objected that they amounted to an "unwarranted fishing expedition".Lively then attempted to prevent Baldoni gaining access to the messages via the usual discovery the judge wrote on Wednesday: "Given that Lively has represented that Swift had knowledge of complaints or discussions about the working environment on the film, among other issues, the requests for messages with Swift regarding the film and this action are reasonably tailored to discover information that would prove or disprove Lively's harassment and retaliation claims." In response to the judge's decision, a spokesperson for Lively told Billboard the actress had "produced far more documents in this case" than Baldoni. They added that Baldoni and his publicity team had been trying to "drag Taylor Swift" into the saga since last summer."We will continue to call out Baldoni's relentless efforts to exploit Ms Swift's popularity, which from day one has been nothing more than a distraction from the serious sexual harassment and retaliation accusations he and the Wayfarer [Studios] parties are facing," the spokesperson Judge Liman said Lively's claim that Baldoni was only involving Swift in the case for PR purposes "does not justify denying the Wayfarer parties relevant discovery".A representative for Baldoni declined to comment on the decision. Swift's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'Tabloid clickbait' At the time the subpoena was withdrawn, Lively's spokesperson said they were "pleased" and would "continue to stand up for any third party who is unjustly harassed or threatened in the process".Prior to that, Swift's representatives told the BBC she was being brought into a legal row to create "tabloid clickbait".It was originally reported that Swift had been subpoenaed to give information after it was alleged she tried to pressure Baldoni to accept script rewrites by Lively for the had said he was invited to Lively's New York home in 2023 to discuss script changes, where Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, and Swift were there to serve as her "dragons".In response, Swift's representatives said "she was not involved in any casting or creative decision" and "never saw an edit or made any notes on the film".Variety also previously reported that Baldoni's lawyers were using the subpoena to try to get messages relating to an allegation that Lively's representatives had threatened to release old text messages if Swift didn't issue a statement supporting lawyers denied those allegations as "unequivocally and demonstrably false".The case is scheduled to go to trial in March 2026.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tyler Perry denies ‘scam' sexual assault allegations against him made by The Oval actor
Tyler Perry has vehemently denied the sexual assault allegations made against him by one of his former actors, calling the accusations a 'scam'. The 55-year-old actor and filmmaker is being sued for alleged sexual assault, battery, quid pro quo, and workplace sexual harassment by an actor who starred in his long-running political drama, The Oval. The actor, Derek Dixon, who appeared on both the six-season drama and its spinoff Ruthless as Dale, filed the lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court on 13 June. In the filing, obtained by The Independent, Perry is accused of using his 'success and power' and his 'considerable influence in the entertainment industry to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic' with Dixon while he was employed as a series regular on The Oval. In response to the complaint, Matthew Boyd, an attorney for Perry and TPS Production Services, LLC, said, "This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam. But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail." The lawsuit claims that Perry initially promised Dixon 'career advancement and creative opportunities, such as producing his pilot and casting him in his show, only to subject him to escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation when Mr Dixon did not reciprocate Mr Perry's unwanted advances'. Dixon alleges that in 2020 Perry climbed into bed with him after a night of drinking and that Perry aggressively groped his buttocks while the pair were in Perry's trailer on the set of The Oval. Dixon allegedly met Perry in September 2019 while he was working for the event company that organised the opening party for the media mogul's Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It's further claimed that from then on, Perry sometimes texted Dixon sexual advances and other times he messaged him about helping him find a job. After Perry offered Dixon a role in The Oval, the actor quit his job at the events company and Perry's alleged advances became more frequent. Dixon claims he was worried he would lose his job if he refused Perry's advances outright, so he continued to maintain that he was simply not interested in sex. At the end of one season, Perry wrote into The Oval that Dixon's character had been shot multiple times, but left it unclear as to whether the character had died. Dixon says he interpreted this as Perry putting pressure on him to maintain their relationship or otherwise be written out of the show. Dixon also alleges that Perry intimated he was interested in producing a show he had written, called Losing It, as a way of making him more dependent on the producer. Dixon says that he then called Perry's lawyers to check if the pilot was moving ahead, only to be told that it wasn't. He also claims that he was assaulted by Perry during a 2020 trip to the Bahamas and in 2021, while staying in Perry's guest house, he was again sexually assaulted and, fearing that he would be raped, slept inside a locked bathroom. A few days after the incident, Perry allegedly called Dixon and blamed his actions on testosterone supplements. He again promised to make Dixon's show and bought the rights but never took action to produce it. According to Dixon, after he complained about the alleged misconduct, 'defendants did not make any investigation into the complaint and did not take any steps to prevent further harassment from occurring.' As a result, Dixon 'had to quit his job working on the last season of The Oval,' a decision that cost him around $400,000 in lost wages. 'Dixon did not want to be sexually harassed or be placed in danger of a sexual assault again,' the filing states as his reason for leaving the show and giving up the money. Dixon claims that as a result of Perry's actions, he suffered from severe depression, anxiety, stomach pains, and nausea and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He is suing for $260 million in total damages as well as legal expenses.
