Anderlecht loses lawsuit against Humo journalist, judge criticizes “gratuitous manner” in which compensation of 25,000 euros was demanded (Brussels)

Football club Anderlecht had filed a lawsuit against the Humo journalist following two sensational articles that appeared in the weekly magazine last year. Chairman Wouter Vandenhaute was severely put through the wringer in the written documents.

Hauspie spoke about their remuneration, the way of working within the club and the high staff turnover in recent years. A former employee was also heard who called Wouter Vanderhaute and CEO Peter Verbeke “two psychopaths” and even nicknamed the latter “the little Nazi” got.

READ ALSO. Anderlecht takes Humo journalist to court after controversial article about Vandenhaute

RSCA demanded 25,000 euros against Jan Hauspie because it allegedly suffered damage as a result of the articles, but the court of first instance in Brussels has now completely dismissed that claim. The court states, among other things, that Anderlecht’s lawyers had not made the effort “to substantiate the alleged damage in even the most rudimentary manner”.

“Not the slightest piece of evidence”

“Speaking in this context is, among other things, the gratuitous manner in which plaintiff (the club Anderlecht, ed.) posits that as a result of the publication of the article in question, it would have suffered material losses in the form of a loss of ‘a striking and abnormal number of sponsors’ and ‘a striking number of young players’, without even proving this statement, which is easily verifiable. to present the slightest piece of evidence, but also without letting this stop her from estimating her damage on this point in a summary and laconic manner at an amount of ‘ex aequo et bono’ 25,000 euros,” it can be read .

The court therefore declared RSC Anderlecht’s claim against Humo-Journalist Jan Hauspie admissible, but rejected it as unfounded.