Berlusconi Blasts 'Feminist, Communist' Judges

Milan court officials have defended the impartiality of their judges after ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi blamed "feminist, communist" magistrates for his $260,000-a-day divorce settlement. Berlusconi made the accusation in an interview with the La7 private television network and said he was appealing the settlement with his second ex-wife, Veronica Lario. "These are three women judges, feminists and communists, OK?" he said. "These are the Milan judges who have persecuted me since 1994."

The president of the Milan tribunal and the head of the appeals court released a statement saying they "strongly rejected any insinuation of impartiality" of the tribunal's judges, whom they described as "diligent professionals." (More Silvio Berlusconi stories.)