Television host and popular actor Vhong Navarro has no intention of entering into any kind of settlement or plea bargaining deal with model Deniece Cornejo, businessman Cedric Lee and four others whom he accused of mauling him and framing him for rape.
Navarro who is set to perform at Bowman Hall in Blacktown on June 20 made this statement through his lawyer in spite of a mediation hearing that has been set on June 2.
It is normal practice for the court to set a mediation hearing to allow the two parties in a case to discuss the possibility of reaching a settlement.
Aside from grave coercion, some of the accused were also charged by Navarro with serious illegal detention, a non-bailable offense. The charges were filed after the TV host accused the suspects of beating him up and framing him for the rape of Cornejo to extort money from him.
Deniece Cornejo who is now behind bars responded by charging Navarro with two counts of rape. However, the rape charge was dismissed by the Department of Justice for lack of evidence.
Co-accused Cedric Lee failed to appear during the initial hearing prompting the court to revoke the bail bond he posted and re-issue a warrant for his arrest. Security at the Taguig Hall of Justice was tight as media were barred from entering the
building to cover the proceedings.