Fortun: Cedric's P2M request not extortion, only settlement
MANILA, Philippines - Businessman Cedric Lee did not commit extortion in asking for money from actor Vhong Navarro, lawyer Raymond Fortun said.
Fortun, Lee's new lawyer in the controversial case on his assault on Navarro on January 22, believes that Lee only asked for money from Navarro as a form of settlement.
Navarro alleged that Lee tried to extort P2 million from him in exchange for dropping a rape case. Lee had said that Navarro attempted to abuse model Deniece Cornejo.
"Is it lawful to ask for damages out-of-court, like what (Lee) did to Mr. Navarro? Most certainly! Kaya nga po tinatawag na 'aregluhan' eh kasi people want to avoid the rigours and expense of litigation," Fortun said in a public Facebook comment on Thursday.
Read: Fortun as Cedric's new lawyer: Justice must be served
"I firmly believed even before I was hired that there was no extortion that occurred," he added.
He also said that the court may find that Lee's aggression toward Vhong on the fateful night of January 22 as "reasonable" as he was defending Cornejo from the television personality.
"If the beating up was for the purpose of subduing the felon preparatory to surrendering him to the police, then the acts are justified in consonance with the elements of defense of stranger," Fortun said.
He also said that elements justifying Lee's assault are present as he was not "induced by revenge, resentment and other evil motives."
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