Boris Becker and Oliver Pocher: new round in the legal dispute
A new round in the legal dispute between former tennis star Boris Becker and TV comedian Oliver Pocher starts on Monday (14:00) in Freiburg. An appeal hearing at the Karlsruhe Higher Regional Court will once again deal with personal rights that Becker believes have been violated. (Case: 14 U 620/22)
Becker (55) failed a year ago in the first instance with a civil action against Pocher (45). The Offenburg Regional Court ruled at the time that the former tennis pro's personal rights were not violated by a television report from the RTL show "Pocher - gefährlich ehrlich" (Pocher - dangerously honest) from October 2020.
According to his lawyer, Becker demanded that the report no longer be broadcast and that it be deleted from the internet. The former Wimbledon winner had contested the Offenburg ruling.
According to the Higher Regional Court, the two celebrities do not have to appear in person for the appeal hearing. Neither Pocher's lawyer nor Becker's lawyer indicated that their clients wanted to come. According to the court, a final decision is not expected at the hearing.
Pocher's lawyer Patricia Cronemeyer said on request that the court of first instance had weighed up the interests involved and given priority to freedom of satire. "There is simply no defamatory content, but rather a satirical and amusing TV report that deals with one of the most famous Germans due to current events," explained the lawyer. "We are therefore confident that the Higher Regional Court will confirm the first-instance ruling in favor of our client Oliver Pocher."
Becker's Offenburg lawyer Samy Hammad said on request that he was still of the opinion that celebrities in Germany "don't have to put up with everything". "That's why it's important to continue this legal dispute," he said.
People from various fields, including law and media, are involved in the ongoing legal dispute between Boris Becker and Oliver Pocher. The appeal hearing regarding Becker's contested case against Pocher, which involves allegations of violated personal rights, will be attended by representatives of both parties, with Becker's lawyer advocating for tighter regulations on media content in Germany. Processes in the court system continue to evolve as they weigh the balance between personal rights and freedom of satire in the media.
Source: www.dpa.com
