Q&A: Criminal and Civil Prosecutions - Natural Fruit vs. Andy Hall
28 October 2020
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4. What is the current state of play with the four cases brought by Natural Fruit against Andy Hall?
a) Criminal Defamation Case – Al Jazeera Interview – Case Closed, and Hall’s Counter Prosecutions
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[...] Hall was removed as a defendant in the case due to his absence from Thailand. [...] Natural Fruit did not appeal the ruling.
b) Criminal Defamation and Computer Crimes Case – Finnwatch Report – Case Closed
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Bangkok South Criminal Court on 31st May 2018 read the verdict of the Appeals Court ruling in favour of Andy Hall. [...] The Court also ruled [...] that [...] Hall had indeed interviewed migrant workers from Natural Fruit’s factory and there was the real possibility of labour rights violations [...].
[...] The Appeals Court’s decision was appealed to Thailand’s Supreme Court by Natural Fruit. [...] On 30th June 2020, Thailand’s Supreme Court upheld the Appeals Court’s acquittal of Andy Hall.
c) Civil Defamation and Damages Case – Finnwatch Report
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[...][O]n 28th October 2020, Natural Fruit confirmed it was withdrawing the case [...].
d) Civil Defamation and Damages Case – Al Jazeera Interview Natural Fruit
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On 26th March 2018, the Prakanong Court read its verdict on the case, ordering Andy Hall to pay 10 million baht in damages to Natural Fruit [...].
[...] Appeals Court delivered its verdict [...] upholding Hall’s conviction.
Hall instructed his legal team to again appeal this conviction for a final time to Thailand’s Supreme Court [...]. [...] [T]he Prakanong Court adjourned reading the Supreme Court verdict stating that the verdict would be reconsidered at Hall’s legal team’s request in light of the June 2020 Supreme Court dismissal of the criminal case (b) against Hall.
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