Corinna Larsen and King Juan Carlos will not know until after the summer which of the two is right in their allegations before the London High Court. Judge Rowena Collins Rice will not decide until September if the lawsuit for alleged harassment that Corinna filed three years ago continues or if, as the lawyers for the emeritus argue, the British courts do not have jurisdiction to judge accusations that, on the other hand, they reject fully. This week, the head of room 13 of the London court has heard the arguments of both parties.
In this Friday’s session, the last of the four that have taken place (two of them with the plaintiff’s assistance), Andrew Green, one of Corinna Larsen’s lawyers, refuted the assertion of the defense of King Juan Carlos who argues that the courts of England have no jurisdiction because many of the allegations did not occur in British territory.
The lawsuit includes episodes, described as harassment and most without evidence, that took place in different countries (United Kingdom, Switzerland, Brazil and Monaco, mainly) between 2012 and 2020, although the alleged events that occurred before June 18, 2014 -the date of the abdication of Juan Carlos I- cannot even be mentioned as a reference because the Court of Appeals, agreeing with the lawyers of King Juan Carlos. recognized his immunity.
Corinna’s lawyer referred, at the current hearing, to the stress and anxiety that Corinna “suffered” and that, wherever the events reported occurred, it was in England, her current residence, where the plaintiff suffered the consequences of that emotional state.
For its part, the team of lawyers for King Juan Carlos, in addition to continuing to deny the facts, has requested that the court dismiss his ex-lover’s claim and consider that England does not have jurisdiction.
Corinna Larsen asks for compensation of 126 million pounds (about 146 million euros) for damages and affirms that the actions of the emeritus king caused him great anxiety, while the previous head of state “emphatically” rejects that he participated or directly harassed his ex-lover.
The judge is expected to make her ruling known after the summer, but the decision may be appealed – by the losing party – before the Court of Appeals for England and Wales.
