Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray has secured a legal victory in the libel and cyber libel cases she filed against a showbiz editor and writer in 2020. Gray’s lawyer, Atty. Joji Alonso, confirmed the win through an Instagram post on September 21.
“Finally after four years, the libel and cyber libel cases filed by [Catriona Gray] have been resolved,” Alonso said.
The court found Janice Navida, a writer for Bulgar, guilty of both libel and cyber libel, while Melba Llanera, the editor of the tabloid, was convicted of libel under Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code. Both were sentenced to prison.
The cases stemmed from a digitally altered topless photo of Gray that circulated online in 2020, which was also linked to the tabloid. At the time, Gray’s legal team denounced the image as fake, calling it “digitally altered.”
Gray sought justice by filing complaints and working with the National Bureau of Investigation to identify those behind the photo. She also demanded a public apology and P10 million in damages from Bulgar, but instead, Navida claimed they tried to “protect” Gray by withholding the original image.
The resolution marks the end of a four-year battle for the beauty queen, with the court ruling in her favor.