Ariane Fornia accuses Pierre Joxe of sexual assault -

ANDERSEN ULF / SIPA

Sentenced for defamation in January 2020 for having accused former minister Pierre Joxe of sexual assault, writer Ariane Fornia, daughter of former minister Eric Besson, proclaimed her "good faith" on Wednesday on the occasion of his appeal in Paris.

“My conviction at first instance was deeply unjust (…).

I remember my astonishment, the state of shock (…).

This event remains unique, unforgettable and I dare to hope that it will never happen again (…) I was shocked at the refusal of my good faith, ”explained the young woman at the helm.

A business started with #MeToo

At first instance, Ariane Fornia, whose real name is Alexandra Besson, was ordered to pay a symbolic euro in damages and 3,000 euros for legal costs to Pierre Joxe, who had brought this lawsuit.

The case began in October 2017, at the height of the #MeToo wave, with the publication on Ariane Fornia's blog of a long post in which she recounted having been the victim of several sexual assaults in her youth, including the one at the Opéra Bastille.

She did not name her alleged aggressor by name, but referred to "a former minister of Mitterrand, member of several governments, who held royal functions".

The name of Pierre Joxe, who categorically disputes the facts, quickly emerged.

Apology request

For her appeal trial, the 31-year-old woman came accompanied by her father.

Pierre Joxe, 86, was absent due to the Covid-19 epidemic.

“What interest would Alexandra Besson (in 2017) have had to sit in front of her computer to tell stories involving Pierre Joxe?

"Asked his lawyer Jean-Marc Fédida.

"We don't have any evidence (of the sexual assault) but I have a damn good enough factual basis to say that the facts that unfolded deserve the one who reported them the obvious benefit of good faith," he stressed.

Pierre Joxe's lawyer, Jean-Yves Dupeux, for his part noted "improbabilities and inaccuracies" in the testimony incriminating his client.

"Alexandra Besson is a novelist ... maybe she told something that maybe happened to her but which was not the doing of Pierre Joxe", he said.

"The factual basis is non-existent," he said.

The former Minister of the Interior and then of Defense had protested against a “slanderous and scandalous denunciation” and had asked for “a written and public apology”.

Faced with the writer's refusal, he had taken her to court.

Justice

Sexual assault: Opening of an investigation against former minister Pierre Joxe

Justice

Judgment rendered on January 22 for Ariane Fornia sued for defamation by Pierre Joxe

  • Trial

  • MeToo

  • Sexual assault

  • Justice

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