Gisèle Pelicot, a French feminist icon who survived nearly a decade of rapes by dozens of men, has reached a settlement with a magazine she accused of taking photos without her consent, her lawyer has said. Attorney Emilie Sudre said late on Tuesday, June 10, that "an amicable settlement" had been reached between Pelicot and glossy magazine Paris Match, instead of the case going to court on Wednesday.
In April, Paris Match published seven pictures of Pelicot, walking in the streets of her new hometown, accompanied by a man it described as being her new partner. At the time, her lawyer Antoine Camus said it was "disappointing" that Paris Match would secretly take pictures of Pelicot "whose ordeal was the subject of 3,000 pictures and videos." He accused the magazine of "having learned nothing from the four-month trial" last year that saw her ex-husband and 50 other men convicted.
Sudre said Pelicot had not requested any "compensation" as part of the settlement. Her client instead agreed that the magazine "pay €40,000 to two associations supporting victims of violence, including within families," especially children and women, she said. The two non-governmental organisations fund a women's shelter and a riding center that helps survivors recover, with the center being based in the southern town of Mazan, where much of the abuse Pelicot suffered took place.
Christophe Bigot, a lawyer for Paris Match, said the magazine was "delighted with the solution, which would help victims of violence."