The judge dismisses the defamation lawsuit filed by Íñigo Errejón against Elisa Mouliaá

BarcelonaThe magistrate Arturo Zamarriego has decided to close the investigation stemming from the lawsuit filed by former Podem deputy, Íñigo Errejón, against actress Elisa Mouliaá. Errejón had reported her because he considered that the artist had publicly accused him of manipulating two witnesses from the party where, supposedly, the former politician assaulted her. In a ruling signed this Wednesday, to which El País has had access, the judge justifies the dismissal by stating that "it is evident that the defendant does not impute specific criminal acts or behaviors to the plaintiff".

According to this same ruling, the magistrate concludes that the phrases used by Mouliaá and the "context in which they were expressed" rule out the crime of defamation. The document emphasizes that the actress used expressions in a "vulgar or popular, not legal" sense as a form of criticism, even regarding the use of the word "extortion".

A procedure marked by non-appearances

This filing comes after a controversial procedure marked by the actress's no-shows, which even led the judge to order her arrest and bring her before the court, considering that she showed a "clear and unequivocal will to evade the action of justice." Mouliaá avoided appearing at the first three hearings: the first was suspended due to a surgical intervention of her lawyer; she did not attend the second, alleging a sick leave, despite a forensic doctor certifying that she was fit to testify; and for the third, she justified that she had a valid employment contract abroad. Given this, and after the magistrate rejected her offer to testify by video call, a search and arrest warrant was issued, valid until June 2031.

Finally, to avoid police arrest, the actress canceled her work and voluntarily appeared before the judge to testify, at which point she apologized for the previous absences. During the hearing, Mouliaá denied any intention to defame Errejón or obstruct justice, and lamented the "disproportionate treatment" she was receiving, claiming to be a victim of "persecution" for having denounced someone "powerful." For his part, the former politician's defense – which before filing the complaint had claimed compensation of 10,000 euros if Mouliaá did not retract – requested that the actress be obliged to appear in court every fifteen days due to the risk of further no-shows.