A controversial and long-awaited ruling in the Philippines involving women who were sexually enslaved during World War II has erupted into claims of plagiarism against a Philippines high court justice and a threat by the court to take away the law licenses of an entire law school faculty.
The Malaya Lolas, some 70 Filipina former “comfort women,” waited nearly seven years for a decision on whether their government should be compelled to seek an apology and reparations from Japan. The Supreme Court of the Philippines in April not only dismissed their case — igniting outrage in the international and human rights communities — but it plunged the elderly women into another legal battle now roiling the island nation.
