John Kercher’s Book “Meredith” To Be Published By The Second Largest Publishing Group In The World

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That is a fantastic news, can’t wait to see the book!!!

What a nice simple title. I think there would be some interesting stories to tell. She seemed to have made quite an impression on Lumumba in just a few days.

Permit me to re-post this since it deals with the options the Kercher family might pursue:

I would like to see some people weigh in on the possibilities of civil litigation against Ms. Knox and Mr. Sollecito for wrongful death by the Kercher family.  Speaking from an American point of view, this would be similar to what the Goldman family did with OJ Simpson.  In American cases, Ms. Knox could be required to undergo examination under oath by way of deposition. Any deposition testimony by her would be usable in any future criminal case in Italy should that ever come to pass. The plaintiffs could put a possibly place a preliminary lien against her earnings, but certainly a final judgment against her would prevent her from getting rich off of book and film deals.  I am wondering what the possibilities would be under the law in the U.K. and Italy.

As far as the choice of where to pursue such litigation, here is what I see as advantages and disadvantages:

U.S. (State of Washington):  It would be easy to serve a summons on Ms. Knox, and all of the civil discovery tools available under US law.  Disadvantages:  Sollecito may be harder to summons, and there is the question of whether a Washington court would accept jurisdiction over a case involving a British plaintiff and a tort committed in Italy.  Plus, sice the tort occurred in 2007, the statute of limitations may have expired.

UK: I don’t know what Britsih law says about jurisdiction over non-British defendants, and I don’t know what their statute of limitations would be.  Certainly a British court would be likely to be more sympathetic to a British plaintiff. Plus, a judgment from a UK court may be likely to be given recognition by US courts more readily.  However, if Ms. Knox were to refuse to appear and defend in Britain, the issue of proper jurisdiction over her in Britain would be raised by her in the US when the plaintiffs try to enforce a default judgment against her.

Italy:  I have no idea what Italian law says about jurisdiction over Ms. Knox for purposes of civil litigation, although I would think it would be clear in the case of Mr. Sollecito.  Ultimately if she refuses to participate, a civil judgment from an Italian court would be much less likely to be given recognition by US courts, and she would certainly collaterally attack the fairness of such a judgment.

Opinions?

Gonzaga,

I’m definitely not a lawyer, but from my reading about U.S. law, the window for a wrongful death claim has passed. A federal court could take jurisdiction because the plaintiffs are outside the U.S., but it would still try the case according to state civil law, under which the longest statute of limitations is three years.

I’m very encouraged by John’s efforts to help balance a public opinion that has been severely skewed by the malignant Knox PR machine.  But as I found out yesterday we still have a way to go…

I was in a cab chatting away to the driver as usual, he seemed intelligent enough, or at least up on current affairs, so I asked him if he’d heard about the case and what his opinion was. After a longish pause he turned and said to me “Sure I’ve heard of it, that’s the English girl who stabbed her flatmate 40 times, right?”

Needless to say I didn’t have all that much to say to him after that.

I am confused. I thought civil law was already done during the criminal trial. That’s why Maresca and Lumumba’s lawyer were in trial, as a matter of fact the latter won a money amount for damages. Am I coorect? or that was other thing.

I am confused. I thought civil law was already done during the criminal trial. That’s why Maresca and Lumumba’s lawyer were in trial, as a matter of fact the latter won a money amount for damages. Am I right? or that was other thing?

As far as I am aware The Kercher family have already been awarded money by the Italian courts. I would imagine that they could persue Knox in the American courts quite easily, on that basis.

Also, if Knox contested that she had been acquitted as happened in the OJ case, the Kerchers, like the Goldmans, would ‘invoke’ the ‘sum of evidence’ aspect of the case….I think.

My understanding is that the civil suit was also dismissed when they were acquitted.  The only one who won on the prosecution side was Lumumba’s lawyer, Carlo Pacelli.

10/15/11
Hallelujah! this IS good news! Yay, Mr. Kercher, you did it! I can’t wait to buy “Meredith”, half a dozen copies or more.

This is awesome, good work John Kercher for giving us this memorial of Meredith’s lovely life. What an honor for this French publishing house.

Hodder & Stoughton rocks it. Hachette Livre, good on you.

Please keep us posted and let us know when the book is released - I’m eager to buy and read it, and learn more about Meredith, whose story has been lost in the Knox PR spin machine.

I know I would love to buy the book. And I also hope a movie’s made one day. All the best to the Kerchers.

Bravo Mr.Kercher. I also would love to buy and read the book. Best wishes to you and your family.

Would Knox still have to pay the family if she is exhonorated?

Vivianna, I would hardly say that Lumumba won. Knox owes him attorney’s fees which he will likely never collect, since $75,000 is the minimum to be enforceable under international law. It’s sort of a symbolic victory and sort of an insult at the same time.

Melanie,
Italy seems different than the US in that the standard of proof is “beyond a reasonable doubt” for both criminal AND civil matters. So it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Cassation would uphold Hellmann’s decision but reinstate the monetary damages. It will be interesting to see what Cassation does but in similar cases like the Volz case the supreme court was inclined to sweep the matter under the rug, unfortunately.

@Brmull - I know what you mean, but Pacelli did win the case in a legal sense.  If Cassation upholds the conviction, Knox will always have a felony on her record.  Small consolation, but at least from Lumumba’s point of view, she hasn’t come out of this completely unscathed.

http://www.leggo.it/articolo.php?id=143384&sez=ITALIA

Well are we suppose to feel sorry for her?
Didn’t she get fired for some wrongdoing
on the case?

As the first comment says:

“Enough think about poor Meredith
at least you are alive”

Regarding AK’s upcoming slander trial (re accusing the police of hitting her) - what could she get for this if convicted ?

Will it be a fine or actual prison sentence ?

If she gets convicted for this, then it follows her parents will get the same result in their trial for the same offence.

Cannot see her returning to Italy in any case for any time to be served - but at the very least it may be another criminal offence on her CV.

gabster,

The charge, as with Lumumba, is calunnia so she could theoretically get both a prison sentence and a fine.

But it’s hard for me to imagine how the officers can win this case, if they have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Knox wasn’t mistreated and furthermore (if Italy is like the U.S.) that their reputations were damaged.

@ gabster,

This trial has been postponed several times - as well as that of the Sollecitos - and I suspect it will continue to be postponed and / or will eventually disappear off the radar. 

Just my own opinion, though.

@gabster,

You see the key question is “reasonable doubt” which is very subjective.  It also depends (significantly) on the style of presentation of the facts by both sides.  It is basically a question of perception.  Yes, we have not been able to replace judges by computers!

I personally do not care whether there will be fine and/or prison sentence.  Conviction is the only thing that matters.

You also need to see (and feel) the burden on the judges.  Not only justice should be done but it must be seen as real justice delivered.  People’s faith in justice is paramount and if the people of the country lose their faith in the institution of justice, then we are back to the “square one” (the stone age).

Judges usually keep a low profile but the heat is so much that they are making (or forced to make) statements in the press, which is perhaps the reason the other trials have been postponed several times!

This is fantastic news, I can’t wait to buy this book! 

I want to thank everyone on this site for their great work keeping us informed.  You’ve done a great service for Meredith, her family and for justice in general.  I came to this site after seeing one too many nasty posts saying there’s “no evidence” against Amanda accompanied by calling another poster a moron.  I decided to review the evidence myself, and understand now that Knox was indeed there for the murder, and likely held the knife that inflicted the fatal wound. 

So thanks again and keep up the great work! The truth always prevails.

This is the only book about this case that I plan to buy.

*Thank you* Mr. Kercher.

@Miriam, what’s that article about?

@Melanie
Google ‘TRAVOLTA ANCH’IO’ and then click ‘translate’ on the first search result. Its about the pain and anguish they have gone through in the last 4 yrs….....Read the comments! There is no sympathy for them.

@Melanie,

Sorry I did not stop to think about the translation. It was midnight my time (Italy).  Summary:

Vanessa vents her concerns to GENTE, says The path to normality will be difficult not only for her brother but for all the family. ” The pain of these last four years has been too
big.” She along with her father Francesco has always fought to demonstrate her brother’s innocence. She has returned to the house in Giovinazzo.

“I had my own life in Rome before this terrible event, now I no longer have a job and cannot maintain myself”. Let’s say I am sort of a collateral damage of this story. Hit hard, penalized, nobody knows how much pain I have had to face.”

Vanessa Sollecito, 34 years old, has two degrees, one in Archeology and the other in Political Science, a Masters in International Human Rights. She was an officer in the Carabinieri.

” Ten years of honorable service. I loved this job, I had chosen it, it cost me hard and long efforts to achieve.”

Goes on about her horse riding, how she hopes to live somewhere tranquil and green and work with horses.

She is sure Raffale will make it. ” He’s 27; lot’s of people help and sustain him, it is,,,,  only right. But I, will I make it?”

Here, something about the “... honorable service…“:

http://www.grnet.it/sicurezza/forze-dellordine/carabinieri/2913-lo-strano-congedamento-della-tenente-sollecito-se-ne-parla-stasera-su-italia-1-con-lavvocato-carta.html

http://sapmilano.blogspot.com/2008/06/squadra-mobile-di-perugia-pubblicate.html

http://www.sap-nazionale.org/share.php?id=992

http://en.calameo.com/read/000016069bfb64d3ebeae

http://www.militariforum.it/forum/showthread.php?29871-Lo-strano-caso-del-Tenente-Sollecito

http://www.poliziotti.it/public/polsmf/index.php?topic=4533.25

http://www.repubblica.it/2008/04/sezioni/cronaca/perugia-uccisa7/genitori-sollecito/genitori-sollecito.html

http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2008/giugno/21/Sollecito_pressioni_sui_politici_per_co_9_080621074.shtml

http://vlex.it/topic/sollecito-vanessa-619370

(here the “...hard and long efforts…”  at page 14):

http://www.difesa.it/Segretario-SGD-DNA/SGD-DNA/giornale-ufficiale/Dispense2007/Documents/28145_Pag13.pdf

(or here at page 12):

http://www.difesa.it/Segretario-SGD-DNA/SGD-DNA/giornale-ufficiale/Dispense2007/Documents/89108_disp24PDF.pdf

This is fantastic news Pete. Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait to read Mr. Kercher’s book about Meredith. It will be a wonderful tribute, I’m sure.

A few weeks ago someone wrote here that Madison has crossed friendship boundaries; he or she thought that Madison could be in love with Knox.

In the following article, there are photos of them walking hand in hand. For me the photos speak volumes, this could be cultural, but in my country you will see “hand in hand” only by couples or parents with children, not friends.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2049057/Amanda-Knox-Freed-enjoying-walk-best-girl-friend-Seattle.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Of course we don’t care about what type of relationship they have, and less with Madison who is not a criminal or guilty of anything. But I could imagine Madison’s hope of Knox’s love as a payback, something that could happen or not. But if Knox rejects her, Madison could be her worst enemy.  She can begin to talk, not about the murder itself but things happened during the last four years. Maybe she says that after all she had suspicion sometimes. A girl with a broken heart is capable of anything. I don’t know, maybe I am using a lot of imagination, but this case has showed us everything is possible.

@ Lulupr AK is using the same pullover (the blue) than during her trial ? Very , very strange

Here’s a link to a story on a one-million dollar offer by a film producer for Knox’s story:
http://www2.turnto10.com/entertainment/2011/oct/14/ri-production-company-offers-1-million-knox-movie—ar-786836/

I bet the Knox-Mellas machine will laugh off this offer and hold out for the big bucks.  In the article, the producer says Knox would have to sign an affadavit declaring her innocence, as if that would prove anything. What is so disgusting is that there will be a steady stream of these reports from now on.

When I get angry, I think of the similarities between Knox and Roman Polanski, another infamous “celebrity” who has avoided prison and made a mockery of justice.

@Miriam, thanks so much for your translation. I translated the comments myself [with a little help from google:O)] My goodness, she sure didn’t get any sympathy there, Italians sure don’t suffer fools gladly! If only the rest of the world were the same.  RIP Meredith.

Lulupr,
I think many of Knox’s more butch friends could be taking turns as her bodyguard/public companion.

http://www.tgcom.mediaset.it/cronaca/articoli/1024738/lumumba-a-domenica-cinque-amanda-e-coinvolta-mi-ha-accusato-di-aver-ucciso-mez-perche-le-serviva.shtml

Lumumba on Domenica Cinque:  ” Amanda is involved: she accused me of killing Mez because it served her needs”

““The day before my arrest I met Amanda, she told me she and her roommates could
not talk or call anyone. She then hugged me hard and told me a was good person.
A few hours later the police came for me because Amanda had accused me of the murder of Mez”

“Amanda is chameleonic, she has the capacity to direct things according to the
circumstances.  At the beginning she was solar, then she didn’t work,  passed all of the time talking to the customers especially the males, instead of waiting on tables.” 

Goes on to talk bout how she accused him. The meeting at 9:00 p.m. how she heard screaming, etc.

“I a sure she gave my name to sidetrack the investigations and she chose me because it is easier to blame a black man and she needed time”

“I respect the Italian law but I am convinced she is involved in the death of poor Mez, and
she blamed me because it served her needs.”

At least the Italian press hasn’t forgotten Meredith

Hello,

Is there anyone checking the emails at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

I have sent 2 emails the past few days without getting replies.
thanks a lot for this website and keep up the good work.

Miriam, I was reading up again on the situation with Lumumba and the accusation, presumably from police pressure, hitting etc. I think it was in the Daily Mail and not sure if that is a paper which has more truthful articles or not. From what I read, he was still considered a suspect AFTER his release from jail, until at least end November 28th, while they investigated Guede, which would mean even then, Amanda did not say, “Hey, I was wrong, I was pressured by police to say he was there but he really wasn’t”. So she had three week or so to sit in jail and think about what really happened that night, and how he was being accused and still did not recant her statement more emphatically.  Also I found it interesting that Guede said that Meredith whispered AF to him as the killer which to me means RAF or Raphael.  There is no other witness so we don’t know if he was lying or not. Those who say he should have been able to hear the fight going on, a few meters away, all I can say is that at the gym I use an IPOD and with the music going on I can’t hear anything at all around me, not the other blaring music or the other people using equipment.  It’s not inconceivable to me that he was sitting on the toilet for awhile listening to the music in a druggie state while a fight was happening.  Also as far as I know he didn’t know RS at the time, having only met MK and AK at the house at a party with the downstairs boys, which is why he said at first that it was another unknown man who did the deed, and later said it was RS.  I wonder too about all those connections.  He played basketball on the court with the boys downstairs, and went to their house at least once or twice.  Could he have been the drug supplier?  I don’t think he was an aggressive person or else wouldn’t he have attacked the woman who found him in the nursery school that morning?  It seems like the true story lies somewhere in between all of the stories and that there are pieces of truth in each of the statements.  The way that Judge Hellman says now that RS and AK might know the truth of that night just galls me.  How would they know if they weren’t involved at all?  He didn’t allow the prosecution to retest the DNA or to present the other mixed blood or Luminol footprints evidence again?  I don’t get that at all.  As far as motive, there are countless murders where the motive seems strange or is not apparent, as well as cases where the murderer looked innocent and gave a plausible alternative story to what really happened.  There are many cases where the DNA evidence was found much later than 46 days and in this situation, it was found in a closed off room.  Even if dropped in the dust a few times and handed around by people, couldn’t they eliminate the other men’s DNA profile when they tested for RS’s?  The bare footprint in the bathroom, how could that be RG when he ran out the door in his shoes which left visible tracks?  He first washed his feet, left a sole print which was visible right on the mat, then hopped out and back to MK’s door, and then decided to put on his shoes again and leave visible tracks out the door?  None of that makes any logical sense.  I don’t know how Hellman could have disregarded all of that information and allow the investigators to look like incompetent fools in this appeal.

Hi believing,

I really can’t help you whit the details on the case. I only got interested about it around June of this year. I did look for police abuse on Lumumba on the Italian sites but could
not find anything. It is either too old or he is not saying. I did find the an article about
the professor who gave him his alibi, it seems to have been countered by somebody
whom was also there but says he say them talking around 10:40 p.m.

He was in jail from Nov.7 to Nov. 20. So yes, Knox had plenty of time to take it
back, says a lot about her!

Also found an article where Patrick says he is furious about the verdict, it seems to come from the Daily Mail, so who knows? Also blasts her for not even saying “sorry”.

Have you read this: http://truejustice.org/ee/index.php?/tjmk/comments/how_each_of_the_three_subtly_but_surely_pushed_the_other_two_1/

As for Hellmann I agree whit you on all you say. I really think he has a lot of
explaining to do when he writes that report.

Watched Porta a Porta after the verdict, one guest a criminologist seems to believe that
Hellman not only threw out the DNA on the knife and bra clasp but all of the DNA.
We can only wait for his report.

http://www.lanazione.it/umbria/cronaca/2011/10/13/599903-amanda_paghi.shtml

Where next:

Or to next entry So Many Millions Recognise That Meredith’s Qualities Were Very Special And Much Needed

Or to previous entry Andrea Vogt’s Interview With Meredith’s Family In The First Post