Amanda Knox appeals slander conviction brought against her in Italy

Amanda Knox has appealed a slander conviction brought against her in Italy, BBC News reported. 

Last October, a court overturned Knox's 2009 conviction, in which she was accused of murdering her British roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy in 2007. Prosecutors argued that the crime was a drug-fuelled sexual assault involving Knox and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, who was also cleared of involvement, The Guardian reported. 

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Kercher's half-naked body was found in the apartment she shared with Knox in Perugia with more than 40 stab wounds and a deep gash to the throat. 

Though Knox's murder conviction was overturned, she was also given a three-year sentence for slander for accusing the owner of a Perugia bar where she worked, Patrick Lumumba, of being involved in the crime, BBC reported.

Knox, who is living in Seattle, Washington, has largely remained out of the public eye since her release, but is now seeking to clear her name. She told the court that she was was pressured by police to accuse Lumumba during a lengthy interrogation, according to The Guardian. 

Lumumba was arrested in Kercher's murder and jailed for two weeks, but was ultimately cleared. He then sued Knox for slander, Reuters reported. 

The appeal was filed on Monday morning by Italian attorneys on Knox's behalf. 

David Marriott, the spokesman for the Knox family, said it was not immediately clear when the Italian appeals court would consider that appeal or issue a ruling, Reuters reported.  

A third defendant in the case, Ivory Coast-born Rudy Guede, was convicted of sexually assaulting and stabbing Kercher in a separate trial, according to BBC. Guede was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

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