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Governor may face libel action in Britain
AP
October 31, 2004
Since the article a woman claims damaged her reputation was on the
Internet, judge says British action is appropriate.
LONDON -- A television host who says she was groped by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger four years ago and then libeled by his aides can take legal
action in a British court, a judge ruled.
Judge David Eady on Friday rejected a claim by Schwarzenegger aide Sean
Walsh that British courts had no jurisdiction in the case.
Richardson claims Schwarzenegger fondled her breast during an interview in
London in 2000, and says Schwarzenegger's staff subsequently damaged her
reputation as a professional interviewer by alleging that she encouraged
the behaviour.
Richardson and another journalist have alleged that Schwarzenegger, 57,
fondled and groped them during a promotional trip to London in 2000 for
his film The Sixth Day.
According to an August 2003 story in the Daily Mail newspaper, Richardson
- who hosted a TV movies programme - claimed Schwarzenegger asked her if
her breasts were real, and then pulled her onto his knee, groped her and
announced, "Yeah, they are real." Another TV host, Denise Van Outen, said
he slapped her bottom, then brushed his arm against her.
Richardson alleges she was libeled by Schwarzenegger, Walsh and
Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Sheryl Main in an October 2003 article in the
Los Angeles Times that also appeared on the Internet.
Eady ruled that because the article was published on the Internet and
could be read in Britain, it was appropriate to take action in British
courts.
Thomas Hiltachk, an attorney for Walsh, said his client planned to appeal
the ruling.
The bodybuilder-turned-actor-turned-governor has been accused by more than
a dozen women of groping or sexually harassing them since the 1970s.
When allegations emerged during Schwarzenegger's 2003 election campaign,
he apologized for having "behaved badly sometimes "toward women and doing
some things that "were not right, which I thought were playful."
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Arnie can't stop libel case
From correspondents in London
January 21, 2005
Agence France-Presse
theaustralian.news.com.au
A BRITISH judge today refused another request by Arnold
Schwarzenegger to stop a libel trial against the
actor-turned-politician, for allegedly calling a television
presenter a liar after she claimed he fondled her.
Sean Walsh, a spokesman for the Austrian-born muscleman who is now
governor of California, told the Court of Appeal in London that Anna
Richardson's allegations had no chance of succeeding if they reached
court and that the case should be halted immediately.
But the judge dismissed Walsh's application, ruling that it was not
yet possible to say whether the case might be successful or not.
The decision is a second failed attempt by Schwarzenegger's legal
team to derail the court case, which could prove extremely
embarrassing for the politician, elected governor of California in
late 2003.
Shortly before Schwarzenegger was voted into office, Richardson
alleged in an interview that he had made repeated lewd comments
towards her and touched her breast when she interviewed the
then-movie star in 2000.
She was one of a series of women who alleged ahead of the California
vote that the bodybuilder and actor had groped them, claims largely
rejected by Schwarzenegger.
Richardson's libel suit relates to comments made by Walsh, as well
as Schwarzenegger himself and another aide, Sheryl Main, in The Los
Angeles Times newspaper in October 2003, dismissing her story.
The plaintiff claims the quotes said she had "deliberately and
dishonestly fabricated" the allegations about the actor's behaviour
during the interview in London to promote his film The Sixth Day. No
date for the libel trial has yet been set.
[Link]
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Schwarzenegger Asks London Court to Block Libel Suit
Bloomberg.com
March 22
Lawyers for California governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger asked a U.K. court to block a libel suit
brought by a British television host who has accused the
actor- turned-politician of groping her during an interview.
Host Anna Richardson claims she was libeled by Schwarzenegger,
57, and two of his former campaign workers, Sean Walsh and
Sheryl Main, in an October 2003 article printed in the Los
Angeles Times newspaper. She says that Schwarzenegger's staff
implied in the piece that she ``deliberately and dishonestly
fabricated'' allegations that the politician touched her
breast during an interview at the Dorchester Hotel in London
in 2000.
An August ruling subjecting Schwarzenegger to U.K.
jurisdiction on the claims should be ``set aside,''
Schwarzenegger's lawyer, Richard Spearman QC, said today at
the High Court in London.
Schwarzenegger has not yet filed a defense to Richardson's
complaint, according to the court. A British judge in January
denied a similar request from Walsh, a consultant on the
politician's 2003 gubernatorial campaign, to overturn the
jurisdiction ruling.
Main, a former publicist for
Schwarzenegger's films, is now employed by the state of
California as a member of the governor's communications team.
Richardson's account of the Dorchester Hotel interview was
first published in a 2001 article in Premiere magazine,
discussing allegations that Schwarzenegger had sexually
harassed women during his careers as a bodybuilder and an
actor. She claimed in the article that Schwarzenegger had been
a ``perfect gentleman'' during an earlier interview, but
during a promotional tour for his movie ``The Sixth Day'' had
grabbed her on to his knee and demanded to know whether her
breasts were real.
Richardson is seeking damages in Britain on the basis that the
Los Angeles Times article was reprinted in Britain and
published on the newspaper's Web site.
The hearing is expected to conclude tomorrow.
The case is HQ04X01371 Richardson v. Schwarzenegger & ors.
[Linl]
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Schwarzenegger could face UK trial
CNN.com
March 23, 2005
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Arnold Schwarzenegger edged closer to
facing a British libel trial after he failed to block a legal action
brought by a reporter who alleged the actor-turned-politician
sexually assaulted her.
British television host Anna Richardson alleges she was libeled by
the California governor and two of his campaign workers in a 2003
article over the assault claim.
She says the article, which appeared in the Los Angeles Times, meant
she "deliberately and dishonestly fabricated" allegations that the
Hollywood star groped her breast during a 2000 interview in a London
hotel.
On Wednesday, High Court judge David Eady upheld an earlier ruling
that said legal papers could be legally served against
Schwarzenegger in the United States and that he was "not peripheral"
to the case.
The decision means he could face a libel trial in Britain later this
year.
The 57-year-old Austrian-born bodybuilder and star of the
blockbuster "Terminator" films was dogged by sex allegations during
his campaign to become California governor.
[Link]
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Governor Settles Lawsuit
By Robert Salladay
Los Angeles Times
August 26, 2006
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has settled a lawsuit in London
brought by a former British TV host who accused the governor of fondling
her and later said the governor's aides had smeared her reputation,
attorneys for both sides said Friday.
Anna Richardson, a former late-night personality, sued Schwarzenegger and
two of his top aides in London's High Court in May 2004. She accused them
of falsely saying she had forced herself on Schwarzenegger and said the
accusation was intended to protect his "ruthless political ambition"
during the 2003 recall.
In the final week of that turbulent campaign, Richardson was
among several women who told The Times that Schwarzenegger had groped them
in the past. Her libel action came after Schwarzenegger's publicist
accused Richardson in The Times of being the aggressor during the alleged
encounter. Another top aide denied that inappropriate action had occurred
with any women.
Attorneys for the Republican governor and Richardson released a joint
statement saying that all three people Richardson had sued — including
Schwarzenegger aides Sean Walsh and Sheryl Main — had agreed to the
settlement "to all parties' satisfaction."
Graham Atkins, Richardson's attorney in London, said in a telephone
interview that the terms of the settlement were private: "Can't say
anything, actually. It's all confidential. But everyone seems to be
pleased."
The standards for libel are different in England. There, the accused must
defend the truth of his or her statements. In the U.S., the burden shifts
to plaintiffs, who must prove remarks false.
Schwarzenegger never appeared in the London court, but he hired an
attorney there to defend him. Even though the alleged libel was printed in
a Los Angeles newspaper, Richardson sued in London because The Times is
available in Britain on the Internet and in limited circulation.
Schwarzenegger's spokeswoman, Margita Thompson, referred inquiries to his
Hollywood attorney, Martin Singer, who did not return calls for comment.
American attorneys for Main and Walsh also could not be reached.
Schwarzenegger had appeared on Richardson's late-night show in December
2000 to promote his movie "The 6th Day." Richardson, then 29, said that
after the taping, Schwarzenegger pulled her onto his knee, said, "I want
to know if your breasts are real" and groped her left breast.
The account appeared soon afterward in the British press and in a 2001
Premiere magazine article headlined "Arnold the Barbarian." The Times
contacted Richardson during the recall campaign for its stories as well.
Main, Schwarzenegger's publicist, had told The Times that Richardson had
risen from her chair, cupped her right breast and said: "What do you think
of these?" Main said Richardson was then escorted out of the room. Walsh
issued a blanket denial, saying that any account of inappropriate conduct
was part of an orchestrated political attack.
A separate libel lawsuit also grew out of the 2003 recall. In July 2004, a
Los Angeles judge dismissed a suit brought by former stuntwoman Rhonda
Miller, who accused the Schwarzenegger campaign of trying to smear her
reputation as well.
In her suit, Miller said Walsh had led reporters to the criminal record of
another Rhonda Miller with a history of prostitution and drug abuse. But
the judge said Miller had not shown "clear and convincing evidence" to
prove the campaign knowingly provided false information.
Gloria Allred, Miller's attorney, said Friday that she was disappointed
there was a settlement in the Richardson case. "I hope that one day the
governor will be required to appear in court and testify under oath to
answer such allegations," she said.
[Link]
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[Definitie:] "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance."
(Wilmore and Costill) 
