School Sex Abuse Defamation Charges Force Oprah to Rearrange TV Schedule for Court

School sex abuse defamation charges force Oprah to rearrange tv schedule for court. At least two weeks of the tv Queen’s time will be spent in a Philadelphia court unless an out of court settlement can be reached.

The defamation suit, brought by the former headmistress of Oprah’s South African School, says Winfrey defamed her at a parents meeting in South Africa and during a broadcast news conference.

Among other statements made by Oprah cited in the suit is the comment: “I said to the girls that any person that has caused harm to any of them will no longer be allowed to work at this school.”

At the time that statement was made, Mzamane had already been suspended.

In October 2007, dorm matron Virginia Makopo was charged with 13 counts of indecent assault, assault, and criminal injury. Her alleged victims included six girls aged 10 to 15.

Oprah is quoted as saying in her pretrial deposition that she did not believe Mzamane was responsible for the alleged abuse. “If I had believed that (Mzamane) was responsible I would with the voice that I have, I would have used it, and that’s what I would have said.”

Since Oprah is well known as a crusader against child abuse, I tend to believe her statement.

Still, the school sex abuse defamation charges force Oprah to rearrange her tv schedule for a court stint lasting at least 2 weeks.