Lalau can be called Lalau
A former judge sought compensation from Rede TV for allegedly inciting the public to call him by his nickname. The court said no.
By Fernando Porfírio - Judge Nicolau dos Santos Neto, known as Lalau, was unhappy about having his compensation request denied and, in a fit of pique, stormed the doors of the São Paulo Court of Justice to complain that the judge who had denied his request was completely wrong. Nicolau is the same magistrate whose name was involved in a financial scandal and who was therefore convicted of embezzling R$ 324,1 million from the construction of the São Paulo Labor Court building.
What Lalau was claiming was R$ 330 in damages from Rede TV, which, according to him, offended his honor, "exposing him and deliberately harming him in the most cruel and terrible way." The judge, who at 80 years old is under house arrest, launched his attacks against the presenter Otávio Mesquita, from the program TV Fama. According to Nicolau dos Santos Neto, the presenter imputed crimes to him, in addition to inciting the population to call him "Lalau, thief," judging him in various ways. The judge was indignant with the program and stated that the comments made by the presenter were "rude and malicious," directly affecting his honor.
The Court disagreed with the judge's arguments and again denied Lalau's request. According to the appeal's rapporteur, Judge José Carlos Ferreira Alves, Nicolau himself attracted reprehensible judgment, since his involvement in a financial scandal, for which he was convicted, is public knowledge. At 80 years old, retired judge Nicolau dos Santos Neto, convicted of embezzling R$ 324,1 million from the construction of the São Paulo Labor Court building, is monitored day and night. Sentenced to 26,5 years in prison, Nicolau has been incarcerated for eight years and, due to his advanced age, serves his sentence in a closed regime at his home in the Morumbi neighborhood of São Paulo.