Lerab Ling’s Appeal Against Midi Libre comes to a conclusion
Lerab Ling Board
To our sangha friends around the world,
In May Lerab Ling received the concluding judgement in the legal case between Lerab Ling and MidiLibre newspaper. We wanted to share the update with you.
As many of you will recall, in 2018 Lerab Ling and over 100 members and friends of Lerab Ling filed for defamation against a regional newspaper and a lawyer who was quoted in an article they published. The decision to take legal action wasn’t taken lightly but after a series of articles negatively portraying Lerab Ling and its community, and based on spiritual and legal advice, we decided to go ahead.
An example of the statements that triggered this decision was in an article in December 2017. When asked if Lerab Ling should be closed down, the lawyer being interviewed replied: “No, because it would force those who take part in the life of the temple to reintegrate into a society in which they have lost all their bearings. As in all cult-like movements, people are deprived from their identity and are cut off from their families …”
The Congregation and individuals felt that the statements made were not true and that their reputation had been injured so the legal case began.
The case was originally heard in the criminal court of Montpellier in 2019, when our case was rejected. An appeal was filed by Lerab Ling and 98 of the members and friends of Lerab Ling which was heard in the civil court of Montpellier in January 2021.
On 17 May the court dismissed the appeal, ruling that there was no basis on which either the Congregation or the individuals could claim defamation, because the allegations in the MidiLibre article were not aimed at the Congregation, and that the individuals were not specifically named or identified in the MidiLibre article so they too could not have been defamed.
No compensation payment was required by the court. Lerab Ling and the individuals are required, however, to make a contribution to the legal costs of the lawyer against whom the case was filed. This ruling marks a conclusion to this case and we have decided not to take any further legal action.
In recent weeks and months, Lerab Ling has taken part in several new documentaries and small news pieces which portray Lerab Ling and its mission as it truly is - a place of meditation, a place to discover and explore Tibetan Buddhism, a place open to everyone. Since reopening in mid-May following another month-long COVID lockdown in France, hundreds of visitors have come to enjoy the environment, tranquility and traditional temple, and many others, who were eagerly waiting to come to Lerab Ling but had to wait until the lockdown was lifted, have come to do short personal retreats. It has been a joy to welcome so many people and offer this place for their retreat and cultural visit.
Read Lerab Ling’s public statement about the legal case (In English and French)
Read Lerab Ling’s vision and mission (which was updated in 2020)
More about the Lerab Ling Board (Representative Assembly)
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