Benko-Wife Successful in Court Against Media

The Axel Springer Verlag was sentenced to a total payment of 10,000 euros, 8,000 euros of which were for reporting on the high-reach "bild.de" site and 2,000 euros for the "B.Z. Berlin" platform. The "Tagesanzeiger" must also pay 2,000 euros to Nathalie Benko. All judgments are not yet legally binding. In the case of "bild.de," the legal representative of Axel Springer Verlag has filed a "full appeal." Regarding the judgments on "B.Z." and "Tagesanzeiger," Benko's lawyer Hubertus Weben has filed an appeal. Judge Bernhard Rüßkamp justified the different fines with the different reach of the media. All affected media must publish the judgments on their online platforms if they become legally binding.

Benko's Wife Did Not Appear in Court - Judge: Violations of Journalistic Duty of Care

Nathalie Benko, as expected, did not appear at the hearing at the Innsbruck Regional Court. Media representatives waited in vain for the Swiss native, who has been married to Benko, currently in pre-trial detention, since 2010. Benko's applications referred to reports in mid-March, which spoke of a divorce filed by her. A "violation of the journalistic duty of care," ultimately judged Judge Rüßkamp. The media had "spread unsecured content only for the headlines and clicks," he explained. This violated, not least, the privacy of Nathalie Benko, argued the judge. "She did not live the public life of her husband, so her privacy is particularly worthy of protection," the chairman made clear.

Nathalie Benko's lawyer had previously argued in the three consecutively scheduled proceedings that the reports had clearly interfered with his client's privacy. "There was never a public statement from her about the divorce, so it is clearly her private matter," he argued. Even if a divorce had taken place, it would have nothing to do with his client's previous public activities. The representative of the accused media, on the other hand, emphasized that a report about a possible divorce in the Signa environment was indeed newsworthy and reportable: "It only becomes private when one speculates about the reasons for the divorce and drags the poor children into it." Furthermore, an Austrian online medium had first picked up the topic, and the defendants on Tuesday merely adopted it.

Settlement Failed - Payments Ranging from 100 to 100,000 Euros Were at Stake

Settlement talks before the hearing had led to no result, according to both sides. They were "miles apart," it was said in unison. Thus, the court had to decide on the matter, was finally the view of both sides. The three media outlets faced payments ranging from 100 to 100,000 euros due to Mrs. Benko's applications. Meanwhile, the case on Tuesday apparently did not mark the end of the line, because: Another trial was scheduled for the following Wednesday at the regional court. This hearing concerned another online medium, namely the "Berliner Morgenpost" and its online presence Morgenpost.de, against which Benko is also proceeding.

(APA/Red)

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