Robert Szustkowski, a well-known Polish entrepreneur and philanthropist, has called on the Ringier Axel Springer Polska publishing house to pay damages of more than PLN 50 million. This is as a result of the publisher’s failure to carry out the terms of the settlement agreement and the violation of his good name. The case that Szustkowski has taken to legal action has its roots in 2017, when he filed a lawsuit against the publishing house for protection of personal rights.
As noted by attorney Elzbieta Kosinska-Kozak of the Dubois and Partners law firm representing Robert Szustkowski, the amount of the claim of more than 50 million zlotys is probably the largest such demand in Poland when it comes to cases involving violation of good name by press publishers. “The basis for the summons is the publisher’s delay in implementing the out-of-court settlement and the contractual penalty stipulated therein by both parties,” Kosińska-Kozak adds.
Background of the conflict
The dispute between Szustkowski and Ringier Axel Springer Polska began in 2017, when the entrepreneur filed a lawsuit against the publisher, accusing it of publishing false information about him. It concerned Szustkowski’s alleged ties to the Russian special services, including the Russian mafia and KGB and GRU intelligence, and suggested that he had close ties to Marek Falenta, the organizer of the “tape affair.” The publisher was also accused of spreading claims that Szustkowski would play a key role in the case.
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