European Court of Human Rights: : Couderc and Hachette Filipacchi Associés v. France

• Autores: Dirk Voorhoof
• Localización: IRIS: Legal Observations of the European Audiovisual Observatory, ISSN-e 1023-8565, Nº. 1, 2016
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The Grand Chamber's judgment in Couderc and Hachette Filipacchi Associés v. France elaborates on the appropriate standards for privacy and media coverage on issues related to the private life of public persons (see also IRIS 2014-3/1). In 2005, the French magazine Paris Match was ordered to pay EUR 50,000 in damages and to publish a statement detailing the judgment of the Versailles Court of Appeal finding a breach of privacy, because of an article which caused damage to Albert II of Monaco. The impugned article in Paris Match contained an interview with the former lover of Albert Grimaldi, Ms Coste, who claimed that Albert Grimaldi, who had become the reigning prince of Monaco, was the father of her son. In particular, the interview described the circumstances in which Ms Coste had met the Prince, their intimate relationship, their feelings, and the manner in which the Prince had reacted to the news of Ms Coste’s pregnancy and had behaved towards the child at his birth and afterwards. Ms Conte also revealed that she was living in the Prince’s Paris apartment and that she received an allowance from him, being the mother of his illegitimate child. The article was illustrated by several photographs showing the Prince with the child in his arms and with Ms Coste. Considering that the publication of the article in Paris Match interfered with his right to private life and to protection of his own image, the Prince had brought proceedings against Paris Match, seeking damages from the publishing company and an order to publish the court’s ruling. The French Court of Cassation confirmed the finding of the invasion of Albert Grimaldi’s privacy, inter alia on the grounds that “every person, whatever his rank, birth, fortune or present or future functions, is entitled to respect for his private life”.