2024-09-06 13:42:00
Dramatic turn of events this morning in the 11th correctional chamber of the Marseille judicial court. Professor Didier Raoult withdrew at the last minute. However, he had been suing Alexander Samuel, a doctor of biology and mathematics teacher at a high school in Grasse, for defamation and public insult for over three years. Let us recall that yesterday, he was the subject of a report to the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) by the Marseille Public Hospitals Assistance (AP-HM).
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This withdrawal is surprising to say the least, because a few days before the hearing, the former director of the IHU Méditerranée Infection, now retired, was still asking Alexander Samuel for 30,000 euros: 20,000 euros for moral damages and 10,000 euros for legal fees. Contacted by telephone, his lawyer, Brice Grazzini, was unable to explain this late turnaround: “A withdrawal does not have to be justified. Mr. Raoult does not have to give any explanations for his decision.”
Alexander Samuel’s counsel, Me Mokhtar Abdennouri, has some plausible hypotheses: “This maneuver allows us to avoid the debate and see the court recognize that the procedure is abusive, all in order to try to avoid having to pay the lawyer’s fees requested by my client.”
His previous legal troubles may have led the former Marseille researcher to stop the costs. Last May, he had indeed had to pay 2,000 euros for lawyer’s fees to Guillaume Limousin, also a mathematics professor, whom he was once again suing for defamation and public insult.
Raoult / Limousin case: Guillaume Limousin acquitted of public insult, acquitted of defamation, Didier Raoult sentenced to pay 2000 euros in lawyer’s fees.
— Christian Peltier Avocat (@AvocatPeltier) May 14, 2024
Since the start of the pandemic, Didier Raoult has not been in luck in the many legal proceedings he has initiated against his opponents. For example, he lost in the first instance against the infectious disease specialist Karine Lacombe, the general director of Marseille hospitals François Crémieux, while the Marseille prosecutor’s office dismissed his complaint against the Dutch microbiologist Elisabeth Bik. At the time working as head of the IHU, he benefited from the functional protection of the Institute which allowed him to cover his lawyer’s fees.
In 2022, the very severe report of the Igas concerning the functioning of the establishment, was also surprised by the conditions in which the IHU had granted it a budget of 95,400 euros including tax for this legal protection. However, according to Me Brice Grazzini, the functional protection of the IHU does not cover the compensation.
Despite his withdrawal, this morning’s debates had to focus on the possible condemnation of Didier Raoult to pay out of his own pocket the 5,400 euros in legal fees that Alexander Samuel was asking him to pay. The outcome on this point will be known on October 18, 2024.
READ ALSO Didier Raoult: 30 years of wild experiments on human beingsIndeed, the conclusion of this procedure did not look serene for Professor Raoult, and this, from the beginning. As a reminder, it was a complaint with constitution of civil party for defamation and public insult to which the IHU and Professor Éric Chabrière, one of the most virulent supporters of the Marseille microbiologist on X (formerly Twitter), had joined.
But for this complaint to be registered, the courts require a deposit, that is to say the deposit of a certain sum of money from the plaintiffs, in order to limit the risks of abusive procedures. At that time, 3,000 euros each were requested from Professor Raoult and Professor Chabrière and 6,000 euros from the IHU.
Eric Chabrière never paid this deposit. He was therefore automatically excluded from the procedure. The IHU and Didier Raoult paid, but after the deadline set by the judge. “However, the texts and case law provide that a delay is equivalent to a lack of payment. In fact, the action should have been interrupted on this date. But it was maintained,” explains Me Mokhtar Abdennouri, who intended to exploit this irregularity to obtain the acquittal of Alexander Samuel.
READ ALSO Covid-19: Three years later, Didier Raoult changes his mind on hydroxychloroquineOther elements will prove unfavourable to Didier Raoult, who was suing the young mathematics professor for having simply translated an article on his blog that was very critical of the work of the IHU. The original article had been written by the German biologist Leonid Schneider, a recognised expert in scientific fraud. The latter was also sued by Raoult, but, in the first bad signal for the Marseille researcher, the courts abandoned the idea of prosecuting him because the latter resides abroad. And in October 2023, it was the IHU that withdrew, announcing that it was dissociating itself from Professor Raoult, who was now alone before the judge. He therefore did not go all the way by deciding to retract at the last minute.
He thus waives the 30,000 euros he was claiming from Alexander Samuel. “Since the trial did not really take place, it is therefore not possible to declare the remarks targeted by the complaint to be insulting or defamatory,” specifies Me Mokhtar Abdennouri. Among others this one: “Raoult organized an illegal clinical trial with real patients to prove that chloroquine was effective.” QED
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What motivated Professor Didier Raoult to withdraw from his lawsuit against Alexander Samuel just hours before the hearing?
Table of Contents
Didier Raoult’s Sudden Withdrawal: A Dramatic Turn of Events in the Marseille Judicial Court
In a surprising move, Professor Didier Raoult withdrew from a defamation and public insult lawsuit against Alexander Samuel, a biology doctor and mathematics teacher, just hours before the scheduled hearing in the 11th correctional chamber of the Marseille judicial court [[1]]. This sudden withdrawal raises more questions than answers, and it’s not the first time Raoult has found himself in legal troubles.
Raoult had been pursuing Samuel for over three years, demanding 30,000 euros in damages and legal fees [[1]]. However, his lawyer, Brice Grazzini, could not explain the reason behind the sudden withdrawal, stating that “a withdrawal does not have to be justified. Mr. Raoult does not have to give any explanations for his decision” [[1]].
Samuel’s counsel, Me Mokhtar Abdennouri, has a different perspective, suggesting that Raoult’s maneuver is an attempt to avoid paying the lawyer’s fees requested by his client and to prevent the court from recognizing the abusive nature of the procedure [[1]].
This is not Raoult’s first legal setback. In May 2024, he was sentenced to pay 2,000 euros in lawyer’s fees to Guillaume Limousin, another mathematics professor he had sued for defamation and public insult [[1]]. He has also lost cases against infectious disease specialist Karine Lacombe and Dutch microbiologist Elisabeth Bik [[1]].
Raoult’s withdrawal may be a strategic move to avoid further legal costs, as he would have had to pay out of his own pocket the 5,400 euros in legal fees that Samuel was asking him to pay. The outcome of this point will be known on October 18, 2024 [[1]].
This case is not an isolated incident. Raoult has a history of suing his opponents, including Alexander Samuel, who was sued for translating an article critical of the IHU’s work on his blog [[1]]. The IHU itself withdrew from the lawsuit in October 2023, dissociating itself from Raoult [[1]].
Raoult’s legal troubles date back to 2022, when he attacked a professor who denounced the manipulation of data on chloroquine [[2]]. He also sued Karine Lacombe, an infectious disease specialist, for defamation and public insult, but the tribunal correctionnel de Marseille relaxed her in November 2022 [[3]].
This series of events raises questions about the intentions and motivations behind Raoult’s legal actions. Is he trying to silence his critics or simply protecting his reputation? One thing is certain: this latest withdrawal has sparked more controversy and debate around the former director of the IHU Méditerranée Infection.
References:
<a href="https://www.lepoint.fr/sante/devant-le-tribunal-le
What are the main controversies surrounding Didier Raoult’s promotion of hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19?
Didier Raoult: A Controversial Figure in the Scientific Community
Didier Raoult, a French microbiologist, has been at the center of controversy in the scientific community for his views on treating COVID-19 with hydroxychloroquine. Recently, he withdrew a defamation lawsuit against Alexander Samuel, a doctor of biology and mathematics teacher, at the last minute, sparking surprise and speculation among observers.
A History of Legal Troubles
Raoult has a history of initiating legal proceedings against his critics, but has not been successful in many of these cases. For instance, he lost a lawsuit against infectious disease specialist Karine Lacombe and the general director of Marseille hospitals, François Crémieux. Additionally, the Marseille prosecutor’s office dismissed his complaint against Dutch microbiologist Elisabeth Bik [1[1].
Ethics Violations and Retractions
Raoult’s research methods have also been called into question. Two journals of a leading microbiology society retracted six articles by Raoult after a university investigation found breaches of research ethics [3[3].
Critical Views on Hydroxychloroquine
Raoult has been criticized by many in the scientific community for promoting hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 without sufficient evidence. In 2020, he faced a disciplinary case for touting the drug as a coronavirus treatment without evidence [1[1]. Many learned societies have denounced his study on the “efficacy” of hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19 as unauthorized <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2023/05/31/didier-raoult-must-be-reminded-that-he-is-not-above-the-law602860523.html”>[2[2].
Recent Developments
In the recent legal proceedings, Raoult was seeking 30,000 euros in damages from Alexander Samuel, but surprisingly withdrew the lawsuit at the last minute. The outcome of the case will be known on October 18, 2024, and may require Raoult to pay 5,400 euros in legal fees to Samuel.
Raoult’s withdrawal from the lawsuit has sparked speculation about his motivations, with some suggesting that he may be trying to avoid paying legal fees or debating the merits of his case. The scientific community continues to scrutinize Raoult’s research and views, and his latest legal troubles only add to the controversy surrounding his work.
References:
[1] The Guardian. (2020). French professor faces disciplinary case over hydroxychloroquine claims. Retrieved from
[2] Le Monde. (2023). Didier Raoult must be reminded that he is not above the law. Retrieved from <https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2023/05/31/didier-raoult-must-be-reminded-that-he-is-not-above-the-law602860523.html>
[3] Retraction Watch. (2024). Journals retract six Didier Raoult papers for ethics violations. Retrieved from <https://retractionwatch.com/2024/01/08/journals-retract-six-didier-raoult-papers-for-eth
