Singer and actress Son Dam-bi sued two malicious commenters who left abusive comments related to her brother-in-law's sexual assault allegation and will receive 500,000 won in consolation money.
According to a Herald Economy report on the 7th, on the 12th of last month, Seoul Western District Court Civil Division 12 Judge I Gwan-hyung, Director General, ruled in a 23 million won damages suit filed by Son Dam-bi against two malicious commenters that they must pay Son Dam-bi 300,000 won and 200,000 won respectively, totaling 500,000 won.
Earlier in 2022, Son Dam-bi's brother-in-law and husband Lee Kyu-hyuk's younger brother, former national figure skating coach Lee Kyu-hyun, was booked on charges of sexually assaulting a minor student. Lee Kyu-hyun denied the charges, but prosecutors detained and indicted him on charges including attempted rape, sexual harassment and illegal filming, and he was sentenced to four years in prison.
The fallout from Lee Kyu-hyun's sex crime controversy spread to Son Dam-bi. As a result, Son Dam-bi temporarily suspended her social media activities. Meanwhile, in February last year, Son Dam-bi filed lawsuits against commenters who left abusive comments targeting her in connection with Lee Kyu-hyun's sex crime case. Son Dam-bi's side reportedly argued that the commenters made insulting and contemptuous personal attacks and that she suffered mental damage from the malicious comments.
According to the court, the malicious commenters who were ordered to pay 500,000 won in damages had left comments about Son Dam-bi when Lee Kyu-hyun's controversy broke out in 2022, such as "XX married into a rapist's family" and "XX married for money, serves you right." Son Dam-bi filed the same lawsuit against three other commenters besides the two, but she withdrew the lawsuits against them.
The bench sided with Son Dam-bi, saying, "The defendants wrote abusive language containing contemptuous expressions that infringed on the plaintiff's personal rights. They are obliged to compensate monetary damages for the mental harm." However, taking into account the content and level of the abusive comments and various circumstances shown during the trial, it recognized the consolation amounts as 300,000 won and 200,000 won respectively. The ruling is not final, and it is reported that there is still a period during which an appeal can be filed.
Meanwhile, Son Dam-bi married speedskating national team member Lee Kyu-hyuk in 2022, and through in vitro fertilization she welcomed her first daughter in April last year.<
[Photo] OSEN DB
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