While Oscar Pistorius is fighting a murder charge for the shooting death of his girlfriend, the famous athlete could also end up in court soon on another legal matter, according to attorneys involved in the separate case.
Pistorius’s lawyers are trying to reach an out-of-court settlement with a woman Pistorius is suing for allegedly damaging his reputation when she called police on him.
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The case stems from an incident in September 2009, when, Pistorius has said, he escorted a former neighbor out of his house during a party because she was drunk and insulting other guests.
(Alexander Joe/AFP/Getty Images)
The neighbor, Cassidy Taylor-Memmory, 21, has filed a counter-suit asking for a public apology. She said Pistorius injured her foot when he slammed the front door on her. Pistorius claimed she kicked at the front door and must have injured her foot that way.
Police said they were called to the house, but the assault case was immediately dropped. It came to public attention again during Pistorius’ 4-day bail hearing last week when the lead police detective in the murder case against Pistorius, Hilton Botha, testified he was the officer who responded to the 2009 incident. After Botha’s poor performance on the stand and admission of investigative errors, he was immediately dropped from the murder case.
Pistorius’ attorney, Gary Pritchard, told ABC News Friday his client lost two speaking engagements and an endorsement deal because of the publicity surrounding her 2009 assault claim. He said he had asked for a settlement weeks before Pistorius was arrested on Valentine’s Day for the shooting death of model Reeva Steenkamp.
The lawsuit against Taylor-Memmory was scheduled to go to court Feb. 20 but was delayed because of the bail hearing, according to Taylor-Memmory’s attorney, Ladine Botha. Botha told ABC News she has given Pistorius’ legal team until March 5 to agree on a settlement or the case will proceed to court.
Pistorius is scheduled to appear in court again on June 4 for a pre-trial hearing in the murder case against him. He was granted bail last week after a magistrate determined he was neither a flight risk nor threat to the community.
Pistorius claimed he shot Steenkamp accidentally, mistaking her for an intruder in the middle of the night. Prosecutors have said he killed her after a late-night argument.
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