France: Court Overturned The Defamation Charges Against Sandra Muller, CFWIJ Welcomes The Decision

Location: France
Date: April 1, 2021

A Paris court issued a historic decision, overturning the earlier defamation charges against Sandra Muller on March 31. The court ruled that Sandra Muller should not be punished, having acted in good faith. The French journalist, and pioneer of the #MeToo movement in France, was ordered to pay damages in the defamation case filed against her by her harasser. On September 25, 2019, a French court ordered Sandra to pay 15,000 euros to Éric Brion— a media consultant and former TV executive. Despite Éric having admitted his lewd remarks to Sandra, the court said in its initial verdict that “Miss Sandra Muller surpassed the acceptable limits of freedom of expression and her comments descended into a personal attack”. CFWIJ welcomes the decision to acquit Sandra and believes the judgment will support women who want to speak out about their experience with harassment and misconduct.

Sandra Muller shared her story on October 13, 2017, starting the hashtag #balancetonporc, roughly translated as “expose your pig”. In sharing her story, Sandra encouraged women in France to name and shame their abusers. She recounted how Éric Brion humiliated her during a party in Cannes in 2012. Éric told her, “You have big breasts. You are my type of woman. I will make you orgasm all night.” Éric Brion admitted making these comments to Sandra, attesting he did apologize for his remarks and did not pursue her. Brion’s comments did not constitute harassment under the definition of French law that stipulates “repeated” or “serious” pressure. He apologized for his comments and alleged that Sandra‘s relentless tweets brought him serious repercussions both personally and professionally.

In January 2018, Éric Brion announced that he was suing Sandra Muller for defamation. In September 2019, a French court ordered the journalist to pay 15,000 euros to Éric Brion as she could not substantiate her claims of sexual harassment.

Now, a Paris court has overturned the decision stating, “even if Éric Brion suffered by being the first man denounced under #BalanceTonPorc, Sandra Muller should be recognised as having acted in good faith”. Sarah’s lawyer Jade Dousselon acknowledged the decision, stating it was a historic win for all sexual abuse victims and a huge relief for Sandra. The journalist, who denies having received an apology from Éric Brion, said she suffered professionally after revealing her story, but she does not regret coming forward.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the court verdict and commends Sandra’s courage and tenacity. We believe the decision will set a precedent in the #MeToo movement for women to report harassment and assault without the fear of retribution.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.