10,000 francs satisfaction: defeat for Weltwoche in Goltermann/Sarasin case
The Zurich District Court has once again found Weltwoche guilty of violating personal rights: It ruled that Weltwoche author Philipp Gut had violated the personal rights of professors Svenja Goltermann and Philipp Sarasin with his articles about them.
Philipp Gut wrote in several articles that history professor Philipp Sarasin had given his lover Svenja Goltermann a professorship. He accused them of "nepotism", "relationship corruption" and "extreme bias".
The two filed a complaint and also brought civil proceedings. After the criminal proceedings had already ended with a conviction of Philipp Gut for defamation, the deputy editor-in-chief of Weltwoche has now also lost the civil proceedings, writes the SDA in a press release.
The majority of the district court ruled in favor of the two, as the court announced on Thursday. Goltermann and Sarasin were personally and professionally disparaged by the allegations.
Weltwoche was also unable to prove that its allegations were true or at least based on reliable evidence. Weltwoche is therefore no longer allowed to repeat the accusations of "nepotism". The articles must be removed from the Weltwoche archive and the Swiss Media Database (SMD) on the instructions of the court. In addition, Google must be instructed to delete the relevant entries. Weltwoche must also publish the judgment.
Satisfaction, but no compensation
The ruling also has financial consequences for Weltwoche: It must pay Goltermann CHF 6,000 in damages and Sarasin CHF 4,000. However, the two plaintiffs will not receive any compensation. The judgment is not yet legally binding. Weltwoche can appeal to the Supreme Court.
Weltwoche has taken note of the ruling and is now examining whether a further appeal makes sense. As the publisher emphasizes in a press release, Weltwoche has assured its sources of confidentiality. This is why the informants were not named during the trial - "even with the risk of a possible conviction".
This is not the first time Gut has been found guilty for his Weltwoche articles. In May, the district court sentenced him to a conditional fine for defamation. Gut had written that former Zug cantonal councillor Jolanda Spiess-Hegglin had only made up the alleged defilement by SVP cantonal councillor Markus Hürlimann in order to cover up her infidelity.
