Friday, June 09, 2023
Unsuccessful quality deadline Reichelt and Springer extend legal dispute
Had to say goodbye to “Bild” in the fall of 2021: Julian Reichelt.
(Photo: dpa)
As editor-in-chief, Julian Reichelt met an inglorious end at the newspaper “Bild”. What happened next prompted the Axel Springer media group to file a lawsuit against its former employee – a legal dispute with an unpredictable end.
In the dispute between media group Axel Springer and former Bild editor-in-chief Julian Reichelt over the reimbursement of his compensation, there is initially no settlement in sight. In a first meeting before the labor court in Berlin, lawyers on both sides took opposing positions. Reichelt did not attend, but was represented by a lawyer. As the so-called conciliation date was unsuccessful, the court set a chamber date. This is expected to happen in mid-November, as Judge Anke Weyreuther said.
In April, Springer filed a lawsuit against the former editor-in-chief of the biggest German tabloid “Bild”. This is the allegation of breach of contract in relation to its end in the media. The group also accuses Reichelt of robbing employees. Basically, according to Springers, he is said to have provided information about the group, although they had agreed that Reichelt would delete it when he left. On this basis, compensation for dismissal was paid – according to the court, it is two million euros. Springer is demanding the return of the amount, as well as a contractual fine of almost 200,000 euros, according to the court.
During the hearing, the parties argued that Reichelt had passed on information. However, they interpreted differently whether they fit the exclusion requirement. The editor of the “Berliner Zeitung”, Holger Friedrich, publicly announced in an interview some time ago that he had been contacted by Reichelt. He turned to Springer.
The successor sits in the auditorium
Reichelt had to vacate his position as editor-in-chief of “Bild” in autumn 2021 and leave the group. The backdrop to this was allegations of abuse of power related to consensual relationships with employees. The journalist himself later spoke of a “smear campaign” against him and has always rejected the accusations.
Reichelt, for his part, defends himself against Springer’s lawsuit with claims against the media group, with a so-called counterclaim. This involves accessing documents relating to the internal processes relating to the allegations against Reichelt. Springer rejected this and referred to whistleblower protection. Reichelt also wants compensation of at least 1,000 euros in this regard.
Among others, Reichelt’s successor, Johannes Boie, could be seen in the auditorium of the Labor Court hearing. He was editor-in-chief of “Bild” until March, when he was surprisingly replaced by Marion Horn. Regardless of this dispute, the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office is currently investigating before the labor court based on a criminal complaint filed by Springer against Reichelt on suspicion of fraud. The presumption of innocence applies until the investigation is completed.
Source: ntv.de, fzö/dpa
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