A defamation trial is set to begin on Monday, September 7, in Paris, involving journalist Marie Portolano and football commentator Pierre Ménès. Portolano, who now works for France Télévisions, is being judged by the 17th correctional chamber of the Paris judicial court for alleged defamation in her book, Je suis la femme du plateau, published in March 2024. In the book, she discusses the sexism she experienced as a journalist on television sets and describes incidents she claims were committed by Ménès, though she does not name him explicitly. However, Ménès is easily identifiable through the detailed descriptions she provides. Portolano accuses Ménès of having a "right of leg" — a term used to describe the unwarranted physical freedom men sometimes claim in the workplace — when he worked at Canal+. She claims he allowed himself to touch women wherever he wanted, with the consent of those who could have stopped him, such as his superiors. She also recounts an alleged sexual assault she says she suffered from Ménès in August 2016, where he lifted her skirt and touched her buttocks on the set of the show CFC, off-camera but in front of the audience. These allegations were previously mentioned in her 2021 documentary, Je ne suis pas une salope, je suis une journaliste, which focused on the struggles of women in sports journalism. Ménès has denied the allegations, stating in a video posted on his YouTube channel at the end of 2024 that he does not remember the incidents. He attributes his lack of memory to encephalopathies caused by liver dysfunction, for which he underwent a double liver and kidney transplant in December 2016. He claims that Portolano's statements are false and that he has never admitted to the facts she describes. The revelations from Portolano’s documentary had previously led to Ménès leaving Canal+. An internal investigation by the channel found that seven people reported experiencing "sexist behavior or inappropriate conduct" by the presenter. This investigation led to a report to the labor inspection and the Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) prosecutors’ office, which decided to send Ménès to the correctional court for the alleged skirt incident. He is scheduled to be judged on November 16 at the Nanterre judicial court for that incident, as well as for kissing colleagues Francesca Antoniotti and others without their consent in 2012 and 2016. Portolano’s lawyer, Christophe Bigot, argues that there is a "reversal of roles" because his client, a victim of Ménès, is now being prosecuted for excerpts from a book in which Ménès is not even named. Bigot is surprised that Ménès continues to claim he does not remember the incidents, despite having apologized to Portolano several times. Ménès, who has been invited to a new show by Cyril Hanouna, expressed a willingness to discuss the matter with Portolano but reiterated that he has no memory of the allegations. He stated that nine years later, they are still seeking a witness. Ménès’ lawyer, Chloé Redon, is expected to file a request on Monday to dismiss the defamation trial brought by her client. Bigot plans to oppose this, seeing it as a legal tactic to avoid a potential loss in the defamation case, which could impact Ménès’ criminal procedure on November 16.