French appeals court on Wednesday overturned the defamation conviction of the woman behind France's answer to the #MeToo movement, who was sued by the man she accused of sexual harassment, lawyers told AFP, reports FRANCE 24.
Sandra Muller, a French journalist, coined the viral hashtag #balancetonporc ("expose your pig") to describe TV executive Éric Brion.
In September 2019 she was ordered to pay 15,000 euros ($17,600) in damages to Brion, whom she accused on Twitter of making sexually lewd remarks at a party.
The trial court ruled she had provided no proof of her claims of sexual harassment.
Brion had admitted to making inappropriate remarks but claimed he had later apologised in a text message. His lawyers argued that the remarks did not constitute harassment, which under French law must involve repeated or "serious" pressure.
But the Paris Court of Appeal overturned the verdict on Wednesday, ruling that "even if Éric Brion suffered by being the first man denounced under #balancetonporc, Sandra Muller should be recognised as having acted in good faith."
Muller's lawyer Jade Dousselon hailed the verdict as a "historic" win for victims of sexual harassment and a "huge relief" for her client.
"The appeals court is saying to the victims, to all those who spoke out, to all those who spoke the truth, that those people will not be convicted," Dousselon said.
Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.
Read Mediapart's background to the case here.