Court Rejects ORF Application in Grosz Case: Compensation Confirmed

A request for the renewal of the proceedings has been rejected by the Supreme Court (OGH). The decision is available to the APA. The Regional Court for Criminal Matters and the Higher Regional Court of Vienna had previously determined that an interview with Grosz gave the false impression of a criminal conviction.

Compensation for Grosz: ORF fails with renewal request at OGH

The reason for the legal dispute was an interview with Grosz on ORF 2 regarding the 2022 presidential election. In it, he stated that he had never stood trial. ORF journalist Susanne Schnabl then accused him of being legally convicted of defamation. Grosz countered that he had received a civil judgment because he had lost a media lawsuit. He demanded that she retract the insinuation of a criminal conviction, which did not happen because, according to the moderators, the word criminal was never mentioned during the interview.

The blogger saw himself as a challenger to President Alexander Van der Bellen, "defamed and slandered" by the ORF. The Regional Court awarded him compensation of 5,000 euros and ordered the ORF to publish the judgment. The Higher Regional Court confirmed the judgment. A request by the ORF for the renewal of the proceedings, based on an alleged violation of the fundamental right to freedom of expression, has now been rejected by the OGH. The court stated that the request was not justified.

(APA/Red)

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