A Manhattan appeals court on Thursday tossed a tourist’s $ 10 million defamation suit against The Standard High Line hotel, saying that even though a jury cleared him of sexually assaulting a maid there, he wasn’t necessarily innocent.
Australian businessman Matthew Moorhouse sued the hotel and its employees in 2010, claiming that the allegations ruined his life.
But the five-judge panel said the acquittal “was not a finding that Moorhouse was innocent, but only reflected that the prosecution had not satisfied its burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The panel also called the alleged victim’s claims believable and corroborated by numerous witnesses, while painting the tourist as “unpersuasive.”
Moorhouse claimed the maid lied about the assault because she was trying to steal his Prada bag, but the court noted that he never reported the attempted theft. It also noted that coworkers heard the woman screaming in the hall and described her as “hysterical” afterward.
Moorhouse’s attorney, Robert Chan, called the ruling “a political decision” and “wrong.” But he said he isn’t planning to appeal because there is a high bar for challenging unanimous decisions.
Yahoo Local News – New York Post
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