Ruling issued on "the designated site" concerning institution for the hearing-impaired schools
Yakutsk Court Dismisses Defamation Lawsuit Against "Yakutia.Info"
In a ruling on August 7, the Yakutsk City Court has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Inessa Argunova, the deputy director of a school for the deaf, against "Yakutia.Info". The lawsuit was in response to a publication about her competence and leadership.
The case, which also involved the main defendant Valentina Fedorova, a former teacher at the institution, was centered around a publication that stated Inessa Argunova was an incompetent leader who did not meet the requirements of her position. The publication also claimed that the educational and corrective work in the school was weak under her leadership.
Judge Natalya Novikova ordered a judicial linguistics examination before the trial, and the results concluded that the text published on the internet contained negative information about Inessa Argunova, her activities, and professional qualities. However, the court found no sufficient grounds to consider the statements defamatory, and the case was closed without awarding damages to Argunova.
Fedorova, who was accused in the case, categorically denied the accusations and believes the case is fabricated. Her lawyer, Dmitry Antipyev, shares this belief, suggesting that interested parties may have falsely accused Fedorova.
Expert opinions provided by defendant Maria Anisimova, whose publication sparked the lawsuit, were conducted by a linguist from the Center for Linguistic and Psychological Expertise in Yekaterinburg, Doctor of Linguistics Sergey Balakin. Anisimova's second expert opinion found no negative information or negative statements about Inessa Argunova.
Meanwhile, the plaintiff, Inessa Argunova, is the deputy director of Educational and Methodological Work at the school for the deaf. The publication also stated that Argunova has not mastered the manual alphabet or sign language, and does not know the special teaching methods for language or the specifics of the school.
It's important to note that Stanislav Robertovich Khristoforov was appointed as the new director of the school instead of the fired Oksana Vinokurova. A criminal case was opened due to events at the boarding school for the hearing-impaired on January 15, 2024. The criminal case against Fedorova is currently under additional review by the General Prosecutor's Office of Russia.
The decision can be appealed in the Supreme Court of Yakutia within one month of its issuance.
- The publication that led to the defamation lawsuit against "Yakutia.Info" was related to education-and-self-development, as it concerned the competence and leadership of Inessa Argunova, who is a deputy director at a school for the deaf, and general-news, since it was about the criminal case opened due to events at the boarding school for the hearing-impaired.
- The case involving Inessa Argunova also involved crime-and-justice, as there was a criminal case opened against Valentina Fedorova, who was accused in the defamation case, and it's currently under additional review by the General Prosecutor's Office of Russia.
