Oprah defamation case goes to trial
Trial to begin March 29 in Philadelphia
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 | 2:49 PM ET
CBC News
A defamation suit against Oprah Winfrey will go to trial later this month. (Chris Pizzello/Associated Press)A jury will decide whether TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey defamed the former headmistress of her girls' school in South Africa.
U.S. federal Judge Eduardo Robreno ruled Monday that Nomvuyo Mzamane has enough evidence to pursue her claim.
The case is set for trial in Philadelphia on March 29
Winfrey allegedly made remarks about Mzamane in 2007, following complaints of sexual abuse at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy near Johannesburg. A dorm matron who worked under Mzamane was charged with abusing six students.
In her October 2008 lawsuit, Mzamane accused Winfrey of suggesting she was not trustworthy.
Winfrey's lawyers argued that the remarks, made at an October 2007 meeting with parents and at a November 2007 news conference, reflected their client's opinions. But the judge ruled they were potentially defamatory as they ascribed "conduct which would render her [Mzamane] unfit for her profession as an educator."
Winfrey's lawyer, William Hangley, declined to comment on the decision and Mzamane's lawyer was not available for comment, The Associated Press said Tuesday.
Mzamane's contract was not renewed at Winfrey's school. She has said she has been unable to find work because of Winfrey's comments.
The school was opened in 2007 at a cost of about $40 million.
Winfrey pledged to build it after a meeting with former South African president Nelson Mandela in 2002. She personally interviewed many of the South African girls from low-income families who applied for the initial 150 places at the school.
With files from The Canadian Press
