"Harry Potter" author Rowling has been absent from social media for several days, after erroneously calling female Olympic boxer Khelif a "man."

Author J.K. Rowling has fallen silent on her usually busy X (formerly Twitter) feed, after Olympic gold medalist boxer Imane Khelif filed a legal complaint in France for alleged cyber harassment over statements regarding her gender.

On August 9, lawyers for Khelif filed a lawsuit with a special unit of the public prosecutor’s office in Paris, stemming from false statements that spread online about her gender after the Algerian boxer defeated Italy’s Angela Carini in her first fight of the 2024 Olympic Games. Carini pulled out 46 seconds into the bout and told reporters afterwards that she had “never felt a punch like this.”

  • @ArbitraryValueEnglish
    40•1 month ago

    Is Rowling even subject to French legal proceedings?

    • @[email protected]English
      87•1 month ago

      The harassment lawsuit alleges “aggravated cyber-harassment” against Khelif, according to a statement from the boxer’s lawyer, Nabil Boudi, who was quoted by The Associated Press. Variety reported that the complaint was filed against X, which means under French law that it was filed against unknown persons. Investigators at the Paris prosecutor’s office will determine who could be at fault in Khelif’s complaint.

      If she ends up being found liable in an EU country, I bet she won’t be able to travel to any EU country without facing that liability. X is an international platform, and she’s broadcasting her words internationally, so yes, she can be held accountable in countries where this carries civil or criminal liability.

      • @[email protected]
        60•1 month ago

        Also any EU royalty payments could be garnished until her debt from her liability is paid in full.

        With the sales numbers of Harry Potter stuff, i doubt there will be a problem of securing the money.

        • @[email protected]English
          15•1 month ago

          I imagine that her Harry Potter stuff is owned by a corporation. That is probably all separate legally from her.

          So her Harry Potter stuff is probably fine as she is getting sued not the Harry Potter corporation.

          It will mainly affect her ability to travel around Europe.

          • Flying Squid
            2•1 month ago

            She’s also one of the richest women in the world, so she won’t really suffer any major loss unfortunately.

      • @[email protected]
        1•1 month ago

        That’s not how legal jurisdiction works in the EU. Member states are still sovereign; if you’re liable for something in France and you get off a plane in Germany then France still needs to ask Germany nicely, and sans an extraditable conviction nothing is likely to come of it.

    • @Apytele
      33•1 month ago

      Rich people often have their fingers in a lot of pies, so I wouldn’t be shocked. You know how the saying goes,“Mo’ money (that you’re semi-illicilty hiding internationally to evade domestic taxes), mo’ problems.”

    • @[email protected]
      12•1 month ago

      Well at the very least it could block her from going to France? Which as a rich British middle-aged woman I’m sure she would hate not being able to do.