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French rugby legend sparks outrage after video of him lifting woman's skirt at public event goes viral
Richard Dourthe has released a statement via his lawyer, in which he denied that his behaviour towards the woman was sexist.
A French rugby legend is facing backlash after a social media influencer shared a video of him lifting her skirt at a public event. The incident reportedly occurred at a bar in southwest France. The video, posted on TikTok by French lifestyle influencer Charline Pradeau, shows former rugby player and TV presenter Richard Dourthe lifting her skirt while she was dancing on a table. The 23-year-old influencer is then seen reprimanding Dourthe before turning to look into the camera.
According to a report by The Telegraph, the video was posted with two captions. “You just want to enjoy yourself but it’s impossible again because... men,” read the first caption. “I hope that your wife sees this, you fat pig. So sick of having to stop living because of you, I won’t shut up,” read another.
The incident occurred during Feria de Dax, an annual festival which took place in the town between August 13 and 15 this year, and has sparked outrage across France.
The influencer has revealed that she has filed a complaint for "sexist behaviour" against Dourthe. She also said she had been subjected to harassment since sharing the video, which has caused her to "have social anxiety".
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Dourthe denies accusations
Dourthe has also released a statement via his lawyer, in which he denied that his behaviour towards the woman was sexist. He has also announced that he is filing a defamation lawsuit against Pradeau, who is accused in the statement of "engaging in genuine slanderous disinformation" against the former rugby player.
“Mr Richard Dourthe acknowledges that he had no business touching the frill of a girl’s short skirt while she was dancing on a bar. He immediately apologised to the young woman concerned. Nevertheless, this attitude in no way justifies distorting facts to create a buzz,” a statement from Dourthe's lawyer read.
"Furthermore, this video does not show the beginning of the sequence of events where the young woman placed her posterior at shoulder level with men who were having a drink together, without paying attention to her,” it added.
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‘Desperate and grotesque’
After hearing news of the defamation complaint, Pradeau released her own statement via her lawyer. Referring to the former rugby player's legal actions as "desperate and grotesque," she insisted she remained "entirely unfazed".
“The complaint lodged by his lawyer is legally and morally misplaced. My client is entirely unfazed; the facts which she has denounced are proven and her words only confirm what everyone can see in a video which has been in no way doctored. There was no need for a 50-year-old man, leaning on a bar, to lift up the skirt of a 23-year-old woman to look underneath,” the statement said.
