Plushenko to sue sports commentator
Russian figure skater Evgeni Plushenko is going to sue a Russian sports commentator Andrei Zhurankov of Eurosport 2 TV channel. During a broadcast of a skating competition in Osaka, Zhurankov said on the air that he doubted that Plushenko had had a spine surgery. The buzz about the skater was only a publicity stunt, the commentator added.
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There isn't anything illegal to doubt somebody's surgery.
First of all, different countries have different laws regarding what sort of speech is protected. But even in a place with free speech enshrined in the Constitution, like the US, you can be liable for damages in a civil suit for making slanderous statements about someone. Suggesting that an athlete is faking an injury for publicity can certainly be a slanderous statement.Originally Posted by glam
Of course it is not illegal to doubt someone's anything. But it is not chit chat between friends, it was during journalist's commentary on Eurosport II, during the warm up of men at 4CC. He used his position as sports commentator on 4cc and the eurosport broadcasting, it was not some Russian show, not to mention the athlete was not even competing there..not that it matters.
He is suggesting there was no surgery and it was just a PR stunt, you can say whatever you want but be aware that your freedom of speech goes together with the responsibility of what you said. I hope he has some proofs to back it up. Suggesting that Plushenko, his team or RF who had an announcement on its site about the surgery lied and there was not such thing just because paparazzi couldnt find Plushenko in a bed in Israel or because he could stood up the next day is not just opinion and not very bright either, the first to sue him should be RF and Channel1, the clinic director and the doctor who gave his inteview.
I cant imagine Eurosport guys in UK channel to have an opinion that X skater had a fake surgery.
Well as far as I understood he was just doubting, not saying it was for sure. And it's not the commentator who has to prove his innocence in the court, it's Plushenko who has to show how did his comments damage his reputation.
Shedding doubt on the veracity of Plushenko's condition can still be slanderous. Are you familiar with the rules for such proceedings in Russia, and what standard of proof the plaintiff must meet to show that damage has occurred? I'm not, so I'm not about to comment on the likelihood of Plushenko succeeding.
If memory serves, a few years ago Brian Joubert successfully sued the former Miss France and some French tabloids for insinuating that his short-lived relationship with her was a publicity stunt to hide his homosexuality. So I guess in some countries the courts are do agree that insinuations that athletes are lying about their personal life are not a good idea.
Oh Good Lord!
I do not know the law issues at all. Is it truth that one's word have no impact unless the reputation of the person insulted is proven ruined? But can you imagine Chris from Eurosport saying, I have doubts Fabian was injured and he skipped Euros, or Tessa didnt have a surgery some years ago and they skipped the season cause of a PR stunt?
The journalist said: In my opinion, there was no such operation, and all this story, considering how it was presented in the mass media – it was an exclusive story by Channel One, only certain media sources got the tip-off to write about it – all this looks like a strategy that is used for various PR actions in showbiz. I especially have a suspicion, because next information appeared in the Israeli medias, 2 days ago, that they can not find a hospital where was Evgeni operated, and can not find him in any hospital right now. Also, I do not believe that a man who had operation on the spine, can walk one day later.
Just reading his comments, this guy surely doesn't know anything about modern medicine.
" Also, I do not believe that a man who had operation on the spine, can walk one day later."What an idiotic and ignorant comment!
Because that's what Israeli hospitals do, confirm whether Russian patients are hospitalized and give the media privileged medical information about them whether they consent to it or not?
What a moron.
That's how the court system works. "Innocent unless proven guilty." The central idea is that the suspect is always innocent and that it is the other side's job to prove him guilty. Something harmful has also had to happen, otherwise there is ni case.
glam, I think you are confusing criminal cases with civil litigation, and are generalizing the laws of some countries to others.
ETA: I think I was wrong earlier and should have referred to libel, not slander. Either way, it's a type of defamation.
I don't know how it works in other countries, but in the United States celebrities often sue tabloids for millions of dollars for telling malicious lies about them.
Typically the celebrity wins and announces a big settlement, and the tabloid "apologizes" by saying something like "I'm sorry you took offense at what we wrote."
Then in the appellate courts the settlement is reduced from millions of dollars to practically nothing, the point being that the celebrity must establish not just that his or her name and reputation was damaged, but that the defamation actually cost him/her X amount of dollars in future revenue.
It's win, win, win. The celebrity gets favorable publicity and the sympathy of the public, the tabloid sells even more newspapers, and the lawyers on both sides get rich.
That was a really idiotic thing to say but I don't think that he should be able to get sued for it. I hope the court throws the lawsuit out.
^Maybe you are right, can you sue someone for being an idiot?
Anyway I wish Plu continues his rehab and doesn't spare himself to tabloid stuff, this is not main russian journalist, if you listen to his commentary little does he know about fs, and I understand only 20% of it.
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