A British reporter's claims that Arnold Schwarzenegger first sexually assaulted her, then libeled her in the press when she told the LA Times about the incident, survived a first round of review by the London High Court, which determined that Schwarzenegger could indeed be sued in Jolly Old England.

Schwarzenegger, who's been trying to shout down repeated charges about his history of getting handsy with a dozen or so women over the last ten years by saying he was just being "playful" with them, claims that the woman had encouraged him to grope her during their interview, which forms the basis of her libel suit. Just like those saucy teachers wanting their pensions cut, or those randy nurses just begging him to compromise patient safety, right? All in good clean fun!

We're not a barrister or anything, but it's our understanding that the libel laws in England are significantly stricter than they are here (that pesky First Amendment!), so Schwarzenegger can't be too happy about the prospect of this suit looming over him as he fundraises up a storm from those special interest groups he claimed to hate so much back in 2003.

Picture from Code Pink's Santa Monica protests