Sex-abuse accuser faces anonymity fight

The district court will deal with an application to set aside an anonymity order for a female lawyer in January, after she accused a former partner in a law firm of sexually harassing her, including whipping her during sex and causing her to be infected with the HPV virus.

The female lawyer, referred to as X in court, is suing former partner and head of tax and trusts at law firm Deacons, Stefano Mariani, for violating the Sex Discrimination Ordinance, demanding a written apology and compensation.

Mariani has applied to the court to set aside the female lawyer's anonymity order, with his lawyer telling judge Harold Leong Kwok-on yesterday that her accusation was of a "scandalous nature" and bothers Mariani.

Mariani's lawyer also said X did not tell all the truth in her "misleading" statement to the court, urging it to deal with the application as soon as possible as the case involves defamation against Mariani.

But X's lawyer said there is no urgent need for the application and requested the court to further adjourn the case as X has to receive mental counseling.

X was said to always feeling anxiety and sad due to the sexual harassment.

It will also take some time for the claimant's legal team to translate part of Mariani's two long statements - more than 190 and 200 pages respectively - as one of them includes media reports in Chinese and X cannot understand it, the lawyer said.

Leung adjourned the case to January 12 to deal with the application.

The writ submitted to the court last month said X was a junior lawyer and her job at Deacons was her first full-time job upon graduation.

It said there was a "significant power differential" between her and Mariani.

The writ said Mariani "forcibly kissed her" in November 2021 and "forcibly performed oral sex on her" at his home in December 2021.

Although X engaged in a sexual relationship with Mariani, it would be "difficult and problematic to describe this relationship as being entirely consensual," according to the writ.

"At the time the relationship became sexual, [X] was very much in the thrall of [Mariani] having exercised power and control over her and coerced and gaslit her with micro-criticisms, self-doubt and descriptions of his power over a number of months," it wrote.

X said Mariani also made harassing comments about other female colleagues.

The writ added X was diagnosed with human papillomavirus last November and the most probable source of the infection was Mariani. Despite doctor's warning that she should not have intercourse, Mariani had anal sex with her without asking for consent, saying: "Now I can take your last virginity."