A Cambodian attorney, who filed a lawsuit against an American attorney in October after claiming he was verbally insulted, urged the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday to pursue the pending case.

Khan Sereyvuthy, a lawyer for Bou Nou Ouk & Partners, said he filed the lawsuit against Bradley Gordon after he was allegedly insulted during a meeting at Gordon’s office in Phnom Penh on October 5.

Deputy prosecutor Soeu Vanny said yesterday she was still investigating the case and had yet to set a date for the hearing.

Khan Sereyvuth is attempting to sue Gordon under Article 307 of the draft penal code, which involves public insulting, and states that, “any insulting expression, any scorning term or any other verbal abuses which does not affect the slanderous charges constitutes an insult”.

The article also stipulates that the insult is only deemed punishable if it is made in public, in the view of the public or intended for the public.

Khan Sereyvuthy reported that the meeting with Gordon was held in a conference room at Gordon’s office.

“When Mr Gordon arrived in the meeting room he shouted and cursed at us. He did not recognise us as lawyers and looked down at us,” he told the Post yesterday.

Gordon denied yesterday that he had insulted Khan Sereyvuthy and said the case was a “misunderstanding”.

“It was a private meeting and this individual who filed the complaint was not invited to the meeting,” he said.

Being found guilty of public insulting is punishable by a fine of up to US$2,500.

Khan Sereyvuthy is also asking for $20,000 in compensation from Gordon for alleged damage to his reputation.