Marie Lozano Found Not Guilty in Long-Running Case
After a lengthy seven-year legal battle, former ABS-CBN entertainment reporter Marie Lozano has been acquitted in a libel case filed against her by fellow ABS-CBN reporter Gretchen Fullido.
The case, which began on January 19, 2018, finally concluded on December 11, 2025, when Presiding Judge Juris Dilinila-Callanta of Branch 85, Quezon City Regional Trial Court, formally cleared Lozano of all charges. The judge ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove Lozano’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The complaint from Fullido alleged that Lozano had made defamatory statements in an affidavit submitted to ABS-CBN’s Ad Hoc Investigating Committee. The affidavit was related to a sexual harassment complaint involving other network employees, and Fullido claimed that Lozano’s statements were intended to harm her reputation, credibility, and integrity. However, the court carefully reviewed the evidence and found no proof that Lozano’s statements were malicious or insulting in a way that could legally be considered libelous.
In her 44-page decision, the judge noted that even if Fullido felt hurt or embarrassed by Lozano’s statements, such personal offense alone is insufficient to establish defamation. The court emphasized that, for a statement to qualify as libel, it must be communicated to others in a way that genuinely affects how people perceive the plaintiff. Mere personal embarrassment or offense does not meet this legal standard. The court also referenced prior rulings confirming that insulting words or opinions are not automatically actionable as libel.
Lozano’s case partly involved public reports and rumors about network programming, including statements about Fullido’s role as an anchor and mentions of other celebrities. The court concluded that these statements were not made with the intent to discredit Fullido and, when taken in context, did not amount to defamation.
For Lozano, this ruling brings closure and relief, marking a joyful end to a case that spanned nearly eight years.