Brett Ratner Defends Defamation Lawsuit Against Accuser

Article here. Excerpt:

'While several Hollywood men have publicly denied accusations of sexual harassment and assault, Brett Ratner is one of few who have sued over the claims — and he's asking a Hawaii judge to keep his defamation suit alive.

In November, the director sued Melanie Kohler for allegedly publishing false rape claims about him on Facebook.

The lawsuit followed an explosive Los Angeles Times report in which six women, not including Kohler, claimed they were sexually assaulted or harassed by Ratner. In her Facebook post, Kohler said Ratner "preyed" on her while she was drunk more than a decade ago.

Kohler earlier this month asked the court to toss the complaint, arguing it was "threadbare" and failed to demonstrate that she acted with malice. Her attorneys also asked the judge to consider whether California's anti-SLAPP statute, which brings an early end to suits arising from First Amendment protected activities, should apply — even though the suit was filed in Hawaii federal court.

In a Monday filing, Ratner's attorney Andrew Brettler argues that the complaint was more than sufficient.

"This case is very simple," he writes. "Defendant publicly accused Mr. Ratner of raping her — an allegation which he vehemently denies. As a result, Mr. Ratner filed this lawsuit against Defendant for defamation based on her false accusation of rape."'

Wikipedia on Ratner here.