Lawsuit - Compensation for pain and suffering rejected: Peggy's mother appeals
The mother of Peggy Knobloch, who went missing and was later found dead in Oberfranken over two decades ago, continues to fight in court for compensation for grief. The court spokeswoman announced on a Wednesday in Hof that the woman had filed an appeal against the rejection of her lawsuit by the Regional Court of Hof. As a result, the Higher Regional Court of Bamberg will now deal with the lawsuit.
The then nine-year-old girl had disappeared on her way home from school in the upper Franconian Lichtenberg (Landkreis Hof) in May 2001. Her body was not found until 2016 in a wooded area in Thuringia near the border with Bavaria. A perpetrator has not been identified to this day.
In a civil proceeding, the mother of the deceased Peggy is demanding 75,000 euros in compensation for grief from a former suspect. She bases this on the fact that she had been in the dark about the whereabouts of her child due to him for 15 years and had suffered psychological damage as a result. She demands 5000 euros for each year of uncertainty.
The defendant man had confessed during police interrogations in 2018 that he had disposed of Peggy's body in a wooded area in May 2001, but later retracted his statement. In the compensation for grief proceeding, he referred to the fact that his statements were false and had only been made under police pressure. A civil chamber at the Regional Court of Hof had therefore dismissed the woman's lawsuit at the end of May for lack of evidence.
Press release of the Regional Court Hof from 18.4.2024
- The woman from Germany, the mother of Peggy Knobloch, is persistently going through court proceedings in Bamberg, Upper Franconia, seeking compensation for her pain and suffering.
- The appeal was filed against the Regional Court of Hof's rejection of her lawsuit, initially held in Hof, Thuringia.
- In the ongoing case, the woman is pursuing a former suspect for 75,000 euros, arguing that she endured 15 years of uncertainty due to his actions, which caused her psychological distress.
- The defendant, a man from Germany, initially confessed to disposing of Peggy's body in a wooded area in May 2001 but later withdrew his statement.
- In the compensation for grief proceeding, he claims that his earlier statements were false and were made under duress during police interrogations in 2018.
- It is worth noting that the civil chamber at the Regional Court of Hof dismissed the woman's lawsuit at the end of May 2023, citing a lack of evidence.
- Despite this setback, the mother's relentless pursuit of justice for her missing daughter, Peggy, continues in the courts of Bavaria.
