Oprah Takes a Stand in Sex Abuse Scandal

In the next few weeks, Oprah Winfrey will be facing the former headmistress at her exclusive girls school in South Africa after a sex abuse scandal with a student.

On Tuesday in Philadelphia, a federal judge refused to throw out a suit filed by headmistress Nomvuyo Mzamane that charged Winfrey because she implied that Mzamane knew about the abuse cases and chose to ignore it. The trial was ordered to begin later this month.

Mzamane was reportedly involved in a widely-reported sex-abuse scandal at the $40-million Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, which Winfrey founded and funded. Mzamane was headmistress when a school dorm matron and several students were said to be taking advantage of other students at the school.

Tiny Virginia Makopo, the school dorm matron, was charged with sexually assaulting six girls. She is currently on trial in South Africa.

Winfrey suspended Mzamane after an investigation by private detectives. Before working at Winfrey's all girl school, Mzamane, who is seeking more than $250,000 in damages, worked as the assistant head of operations at the prestigious Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia.

Winfrey is named as a defendant, and will be called as a witness during the trial, which should take up to two weeks. Winfrey's lawyers argued that her statements were just an opinion that she could not be sued for.