Oprah to testify in defamation case over abuse at academy

OPRAH Winfrey and several schoolgirls allegedly abused at her academy in South Africa are expected to testify at an upcoming trial in Philadelphia.

The school’s former headmistress is suing Winfrey for defamation over remarks Winfrey made during the 2007 sex-abuse scandal.

When news of the scandal broke, Winfrey said she had “lost confidence” in the headmistress, Nomvuyo Mzamane, and was “cleaning house from top to bottom”.

Mzamane, who said she did not know about any sexual abuse, had trouble finding another job.

The case is headed for a two-week jury trial in federal court starting March 29.

At a final pretrial hearing yesterday, Winfrey’s lawyer Chip Babcock said minors do not typically testify in open court in South Africa.

The girls, now 14 and 15, may seek to testify through videotaped depositions, especially given the sensitive nature of their testimony, Babcock said.

A dorm matron at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls has been charged with abusing six students. Winfrey called the allegations ”crushing” given her own stated history of childhood sexual abuse.