Latest news with #legal action
Daily Mail
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Pat McAfee finally apologizes for spreading fake sex rumor about Ole Miss student five months later
Pat McAfee has revealed he recently apologized to Mary Kate Cornett and her family in person after spreading a fake sex claim about the Ole Miss student earlier this year. Cornett, 19, was the subject of a vile internet rumor back in February which alleged that she was in a sexual relationship with the father of her University of Mississippi boyfriend, Evan Solis, also 19. The unproven accusation, which was even investigated by the FBI, left Mary Kate's family furious as they threatened legal action against anyone who shared it online. One of those people was McAfee, who discussed the false rumor live on his ESPN sports talk show on two separate occasions. Cornett ripped into the former NFL punter for doing so at the time, while claiming that he had never contacted her to find out if there was any truth to the story. McAfee then broke his silence a week later by insisting he 'never wants to be a part of anything negative in anybody's life'. Now, five months on from the start of the rumor, he has finally apologized to both Cornett and her family for spreading it. 'As a lot of you know, on February 26 of this year, we were down at the Combine on this particular program. We discussed a very viral internet story about an Ole Miss college student. We weren't clear at that time where the story originated from. It was all over the internet,' McAfee said on Wednesday's edition of his show. 'Yet by the time we talked about it, the story was everywhere. I have since learned that the story was not true, and that my show played a role in the anguish caused to a great family and especially to a young woman, Mary Kate Cornett. 'I think you all know from tuning into this program that I never want to be a source of negativity or contribute to another human's suffering. And I can now happily share with you that I recently got to meet Mary Kate and her family. And I got a chance to sincerely apologize to them and acknowledge that what I said about Mary Kate was based solely on what others were saying on the internet, or what had previously been reported by others, and that we had no personal knowledge about Mary Kate or her personal life.' McAfee then added: 'As a girl dad, I also was very thankful for the opportunity to let Mr. Cornett know that I was wildly regretful for the part that our show, our program, played in his daughter, Mary Kate's, pain. 'I know many of you are wondering why I, or we, haven't addressed this topic until now. It's a fair question. But as you might imagine, there was a lot going on behind the scenes since this all happened. 'The most important element on the timing is that I, personally, it was a decision I made, wanted to talk to the family first before addressing it publicly. And I can now say that I had the opportunity to meet them, chat with them, and they're wonderful people. And I'm very thankful that they gave me the opportunity to tell them how sorry I was that this all happened, and that our program was a part of this. 'I deeply regret all the pain that this caused. I hated watching what our show as a part of, in her interviews and reading about it. And my hope is that this can be something that we all learn from going forward. I know we certainly have. 'Our goal at this show is to make the world a happier place, a better place. To celebrate life and sports and unify folks. I, and we, don't always get it right. But we'll never stop trying.' McAfee was not the only high-profile figure to admit regret over spreading the false accusation about Cornett, with Barstool Sports boss Dave Portnoy also owning up to his mistake. Portnoy expressed regret that his media empire played a part, telling telling the Daily Mail back in April that he would be 'p***ed' if he was Cornett's family. In a statement, he said: 'I wish we didn't publish it even if it was only for 7 minutes. 'I'd be p***ed if I was the family too. I'd like to think we're better than publishing fake rumors of people not in the public eye regardless of how viral the story was.'
CTV News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Belgium questions 2 Israelis at music festival over Gaza crime allegations
The burned main stage, rear, is seen as people listen to Nervo performing at the Tomorrowland music festival in Boom, Belgium, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana) BRUSSELS — Belgian police questioned two members of the Israeli army who were attending a music festival in Belgium over allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Brussels said in a statement Monday. In a statement to The Associated Press, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said an Israeli citizen and an Israeli soldier who were on vacation in Belgium 'were taken in yesterday for interrogation and were released shortly afterward.' It said Israeli authorities 'dealt with this issue and are in touch with the two.' It was not immediately clear why the Israeli Foreign Ministry referred to one civilian and one soldier, while Belgian prosecutors spoke of two Israeli army members. The whereabouts of the two people who were questioned was not immediately clear. The case was hailed as a 'turning point in the global pursuit of accountability' by a Belgium-based group called the Hind Rajab Foundation, which has campaigned for the arrest of Israeli troops it accuses of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The group was named for a young girl who Palestinians say was killed early in the war by Israeli fire as she and her family fled Gaza City. It isn't the first time an Israeli has been targeted overseas for legal action. In January, Israel helped a former soldier leave Brazil after legal action was initiated against him by the group, which uses geolocation and social media posts to identify soldiers they accuse of war crimes. Since forming last year, the Hind Rajab Foundation has made dozens of complaints in more than 10 countries seeking the arrest of both low-level and high-ranking Israeli soldiers. It was not immediately clear if any soldiers have been arrested as a result of the group's actions. The group did not immediately respond to an email seeking details. 'We will continue to support the ongoing proceedings and call on Belgian authorities to pursue the investigation fully and independently,' the group said in its statement. 'Justice must not stop here — and we are committed to seeing it through.' Israel says its forces follow international law and try to avoid harming civilians, and that it investigates allegations of wrongdoing. In a written statement, the prosecutor's office said that the two army members — who were in Belgium for the Tomorrowland festival — were questioned after the office received legal complaints on Friday and Saturday from the Hind Rajab Foundation and another group. The prosecution office requested the questioning after an initial assessment of the complaints 'determined that it potentially had jurisdiction.' The Hind Rajab foundation said it filed its complaints along with the rights group Global Legal Action Network. The decision to question the two Israelis was based on an article in Belgium's Code of Criminal Procedure that went into force last year and grants Belgian courts jurisdiction over acts overseas that are potentially governed by an international treaty, in this case the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1984 United Nations convention against torture, the prosecution statement said. 'In light of this potential jurisdiction, the Federal Prosecutor's Office requested the police to locate and interrogate the two individuals named in the complaint. Following these interrogations, they were released,' the statement said, without elaborating. It said it was not providing any further information at this stage of its investigation. The European Jewish Association criticized Belgian authorities for acting on what it called a politically motivated complaint. 'These soldiers were carrying out their lawful duties in defence of their country, duties comparable to those of any soldier serving in a democratic nation,' the association said in a statement. The news in Belgium came as the UN food agency accused Israel of using tanks, snipers and other weapons to fire on a crowd of Palestinians seeking food aid, in what the territory's Health Ministry said was one of the deadliest days for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war. The death toll in war-ravaged Gaza has climbed to more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians but the ministry says more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government, but the UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. ____ Melanie Lidman and Isaac Scharf in Jerusalem and Molly Quell in The Hague contributed to this report. The Associated Press
The Independent
19-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Nurse at centre of gender storm takes action against union
A nurse at the centre of a gender dispute has announced she is taking legal action against her trade union. Sandie Peggie was suspended from her job in 2024 after she complained about having to share a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton. Ms Peggie was later placed on special leave after a complaint of bullying and harassment by Dr Upton, but was cleared by an NHS Fife investigation earlier this week. The suspension led to an employment tribunal this year, in which Ms Peggie launched a claim against Dr Upton and NHS Fife, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment, harassment related to a protected belief, indirect discrimination and victimisation. On Saturday, the Herald reported that Ms Peggie had taken legal action against the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), claiming it failed to support her after her suspension, which the union denies. 'The RCN's failure to act like a trade union ought to has contributed to Sandie Peggie's mistreatment,' Ms Peggie's lawyer Margaret Gribbon said in a statement. 'They have repeatedly failed to exercise their industrial muscle to advocate for female members distressed because they are being deprived of genuine single-sex spaces to dress and undress at work. 'Had the RCN fulfilled the conventional role of a trade union, it is less likely that Sandie would have faced the ordeal of an 18-month disciplinary process and having to raise legal proceedings against Fife Health Board.' The paper reported that Ms Peggie will be taking action for unlawful discrimination. An RCN spokesperson told the newspaper: 'We have responded to the claim, and we deny all the allegations from Ms Peggie.'
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Nurse at centre of gender storm takes action against union
A nurse at the centre of a gender dispute has announced she is taking legal action against her trade union. Sandie Peggie was suspended from her job in 2024 after she complained about having to share a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton. Ms Peggie was later placed on special leave after a complaint of bullying and harassment by Dr Upton, but was cleared by an NHS Fife investigation earlier this week. The suspension led to an employment tribunal this year, in which Ms Peggie launched a claim against Dr Upton and NHS Fife, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment, harassment related to a protected belief, indirect discrimination and victimisation. On Saturday, the Herald reported that Ms Peggie had taken legal action against the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), claiming it failed to support her after her suspension, which the union denies. 'The RCN's failure to act like a trade union ought to has contributed to Sandie Peggie's mistreatment,' Ms Peggie's lawyer Margaret Gribbon said in a statement. 'They have repeatedly failed to exercise their industrial muscle to advocate for female members distressed because they are being deprived of genuine single-sex spaces to dress and undress at work. 'Had the RCN fulfilled the conventional role of a trade union, it is less likely that Sandie would have faced the ordeal of an 18-month disciplinary process and having to raise legal proceedings against Fife Health Board.' The paper reported that Ms Peggie will be taking action for unlawful discrimination. An RCN spokesperson told the newspaper: 'We have responded to the claim, and we deny all the allegations from Ms Peggie.'
