Max Cavalera (Soulfly, etc.) has reportedly won the libel case brought forward by his former sister-in-law Monika Bass Cavalera. Back in 2014, Monika filed the lawsuit in Brazil due to comments Max made about her in his autobiography “My Bloody Roots: From Sepultura To Soulfly And Beyond.”
Max had the following to say about Monika in the book:
“I never liked Igor‘s wife [Monika.] She was a bitch. They’re finally divorced now, thank God. When we first met her, she tried to pick me up, but I didn’t want anything to do with her. A couple of weeks later, she was with my brother, which I always felt was kinda weird, like he was the second-best option or something. That always bugged me. But he fell in love with her anyway.”
“There was something about the way she talked to him [Igor] that always bothered me. She’d say stuff like, ‘My father is rich: he can provide me with a big house and a great life. You’d better do better than that.’ In front of everybody. I couldn’t stand her, man. I still can’t. I found out later that she became [Sepultura‘s] manager and was the person who wanted and took Gloria‘s job. And she was a dental assistant! How does a dental assistant become a manager? Unbelievable.”
Max was initially ordered to pay Monika 50,000 Brazilian reals and recant his comments in 2015, but things eventually shifted in his favor. The following was said in a press release:
“A final decision has been reached in favor of Max Cavalera in the ongoing libel case filed in Brazil by Cavalera‘s former sister-in-law.
The former wife of Cavalera‘s brother Igor alleged that Cavalera defamed her in his 2014 autobiography, My Bloody Roots. Cavalera was initially ordered to pay a sum to the plaintiff, who then wrongfully claimed to have won the case before the final judgment was made.
“It feels great to put this case behind me,” Cavalera says. “It was very frustrating knowing I had always been honest about the events of my life, even the negative times. I am grateful to the courts in Brazil for seeing the truth in this matter and letting justice prevail.”
Cavalera won every appeal, the case is considered “res judicata,” meaning it cannot be changed, and Cavalera is released from any obligation toward the plaintiff. Additionally, due to baselessly filing multiple appeals, Cavalera‘s lawyer petitioned the court to penalize the plaintiff. As a result, the plaintiff will now have to pay a fine of one percent of the total amount she asked for from Cavalera.
Cavalera was represented in this case by Daniela Pasqua of Pasqua Sociedade de Advogados.”
