Argentina's Supreme Court Allows Lawsuit Against Cristina Kirchner to Proceed

The Supreme Court of Argentina has dismissed an appeal by former President Cristina Kirchner, allowing a lawsuit against her by journalist Eduardo Feinmann to move forward in the judicial system. The unanimous decision by the country's highest court annulled a previous ruling by a lower court that had granted Kirchner's extraordinary appeal to reject the defamation case.

Feinmann filed the lawsuit in December 2016, alleging that Kirchner made offensive and hurtful statements about him on the television program 'Animales Sueltos'. The journalist claimed that Kirchner's criticism of his reporting constituted damages. Lower courts had initially rejected the lawsuit, finding that Feinmann's comments were related to matters of public interest.

In her appeal, Kirchner sought to have the Supreme Court consider the rejection of Feinmann's lawsuit. However, the high court declared the nullity of the decision that had granted the extraordinary appeal to the former head of state, citing a lack of proper justification for granting the appeal.

Why this matters: The Supreme Court's ruling establishes a precedent for holding public officials accountable for their statements and allows legal challenges to proceed when defamation or damages are alleged. It also highlights the role of the judiciary in impartially adjudicating disputes involving high-profile political figures.

The Supreme Court's decision means that Feinmann's defamation case against Kirchner will now return to the lower courts to be heard on its merits. The ruling stated, "The granting of the extraordinary appeal was not properly justified." The court's dismissal of Kirchner's appeal paves the way for the lawsuit to proceed through the standard legal channels, despite the former president's efforts to have it dismissed.

Key Takeaways

• Argentina's Supreme Court unanimously dismissed Cristina Kirchner's appeal against journalist Eduardo Feinmann's defamation lawsuit.
• The court annulled a previous lower court ruling that had granted Kirchner's appeal to reject the lawsuit.
• Feinmann filed the lawsuit in 2016, alleging Kirchner made offensive statements about him on TV.
• The Supreme Court's ruling establishes a precedent for holding public officials accountable for their statements.
• The lawsuit against Kirchner will now return to the lower courts to be heard on its merits.