Judge Rowena Collins Rice has rejected Corinsa Larsen’s request for the High Court of England and Wales to analyze her complaint against the emeritus king for alleged crimes of harassment and defamation, ending a three-year judicial saga, if the lawyers of The businesswoman cannot get the highest court in the United Kingdom to accept an appeal against this decision.
Larsen filed the complaint in the British courts in October 2020 and has regularly attended hearings in which procedural issues have been analyzed, but this ruling that could put an end to the case was delivered to the parties by email. He increased his demand over time, up to €146 million in compensation which included business losses and legal costs in Switzerland and the United States.
Collins-Rice first points out that the English courts do not have jurisdiction to analyze the complaint, because it would negate the principle established in British and Community law for cases involving multiple jurisdictions to be brought in the country of residence of the defendant. The first judge in the case assumed jurisdiction, but Juan Carlos has maintained at all times that he does not have it.
British harassment law endorses the concept of a ‘course of conduct’, but requires specific acts in its territory. The plaintiff, the judge explains, states that most of the acts took place in England, but she does not clarify where her domicile is and describes supposedly criminal acts in Spain, Monaco, Abu Dhabi, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Los Angeles, New York, Tahiti and Bahamas.
Money
He had meetings and telephone conversations with Juan Carlos in London, which do not prove harassment. In most events in England – surveillance, breaking a glass in one of his homes, intimidation of his collaborators… – the connection with the former monarch is based on context or speculation. Extending the harassment to the publication of negative articles against him in Spain further distances competition from London.
The modifications to the initial narrative on which her initial complaint was based lack “clarity, coherence and consistency,” according to the judge, who concludes that her case about harassment and personal injury has no chance of convincing a court. of England and Wales based on domestic law and case law.
The judge also justifies her decision by pointing out that Larsen has tried to circumvent the Court of Appeal’s ruling, which annulled the inclusion of the alleged crimes committed before the abdication, due to the head of state’s immunity from being tried in the courts of another country. To achieve this, she has presented to the court an explanation of his financial relations with Juan Carlos, in particular his donation of 65 million euros.
Dating back to 2012 and the alleged acts of harassment she suffered when her relationship with the emeritus had soured, Corina Larsen wanted the court to accept that those acts were not inspired by the authority of the head of state but by private interest. It is an attempt contrary to international jurisprudence on State Immunity, which reveals the weakness of the legal arguments.
The judge adds that Larsen wanted the court to analyze the financial relations with the emeritus king, although she retains in her possession the millions that her lover gave her. But “the only question that concerns me is whether the plaintiff can force the defendant to present his side of the story to the High Court,” Collins-Rice writes. “My conclusion is that she can’t,” she finally says.
Juan Carlos I hints at a return to public life
“Today’s decision, favorable to His Majesty, reestablishes the necessary conditions for future public appearances.” With these words, Juan Carlos I makes evident in a statement issued this afternoon to the media his desire to return to public life. In the letter, the king emeritus congratulates himself on the decision of the British justice system after learning that he has dismissed the lawsuit filed against him by Corinna Larssen.
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