The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) has sent Lula's lawsuit against the businessman who threatened him with death to the court in São Bernardo.
A man fired a revolver at targets on a soccer field and attacked Lula.
Brazil Agency - The Fourth Panel of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) sent to the 7th Civil Court of São Bernardo do Campo (SP) the lawsuit in which President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is seeking compensation from a man who threatened him with death on social media. In the post, he was holding a gun.
In the images, published on March 13, 2021, the businessman, identified as José Sabatini, from the city of Artur Nogueira (SP), fires a revolver at targets on a soccer field and attacks Lula.
“Lula, you son of a b****, I want to give you a message. Today is Saturday, March 13th. Pay attention to the message I'm going to give you, you scoundrel. If you don't return the R$ 84 billion you stole from the workers' pension fund, you're going to have problems,” Sabatini said in the post.
The day after the post, Lula filed a complaint against the businessman with the Public Prosecutor's Office of São Paulo for the crimes of defamation, slander, and libel. The Public Prosecutor's Office proceeded with the case and took legal action. The Court of Justice of São Paulo, in turn, ruled that the case should be heard in Artur Nogueira, where the defendant resides. There, the accusations of defamation and slander were dismissed, with only the accusation of libel remaining.
Lula's defense appealed, and now the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) has ruled that the case should return to São Bernardo do Campo, where the president resides and where the proceedings were initially initiated. The rapporteur, Minister Antonio Carlos Ferreira, stated that STJ jurisprudence dictates that, in cases of offenses committed via social media, given the wide reach of the internet, the case should be judged in the court where the victim resides. This understanding ultimately prevailed at the end of the trial.
Lula is seeking R$ 50 in damages for the insults. There is no set deadline for the case's resolution. Agência Brasil is attempting to contact the defense attorney for businessman José Sabatini.