John Galliano fires lawyer amid embezzlement and defamation claims
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John Galliano’s troubles get murkier and murkier. The designer, fired in March as creative director for Christian Dior after alleged racist rants in a Paris bar and on a video, has fired the lawyer who was set to defend him in the anti-Semitism case stemming from the imbroglio.
According to the Daily Mail, Galliano has also filed suit against the lawyer, Stephane Zerbib, and accused him of illegally withdrawing money from the designer’s bank account to the tune of 2.8 million euros (about $4.1 million at today’s exchange rate).
Zerbib has denied the allegation and says he plans to file a defamation suit against Galliano.
A vigorous defense by Zerbib, who is Jewish himself and is prominent in Paris legal circles, was considered to be a plus for Galliano, who faces up to six months in prison and a fine equivalent to around $30,000 over two allegedly drunken rants in a bar close to his Paris flat. A trial date is scheduled to be set next week on the charges of making ‘public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity,’ which is illegal in France.
As they say, it’s like watching a train wreck.
-- Susan Denley
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