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A lawsuit has been filed against Ringier Axel Springer Polska (RASP) in the Polish courts*, claiming a payment of over PLN 54 million. The lawsuit stems from RASP’s refusal to pay a contractual penalty due to delays in fulfilling the terms of a Settlement Agreement signed by the Publisher in 2020 with Robert Szustkowski.
In August of this year, entrepreneur and philanthropist Robert Szustkowski demanded that RASP (publisher of Newsweek Polska, Onet, and Fakt) pay a contractual penalty amounting to over PLN 50 million. This demand was a consequence of RASP’s failure to fulfill the terms of a bilateral Settlement Agreement from 2020, in which the Publisher committed to permanently removing publications that violated Robert Szustkowski’s dignity and good name between 2016 and 2018. Due to RASP’s refusal to pay the penalty, the matter was ultimately brought before the court. The case is being handled by Attorney Elżbieta Kosińska-Kozak from the law firm Dubois & Partners.
Considering previous rulings and cases before the Polish judiciary, the claim for the payment of over PLN 54 million in penalties directly resulting from the terms of the Settlement Agreement may prove to be the largest financial claim in the history of personal rights violations cases in Poland.
The Settlement Agreement, signed in October 2020, was a consequence of a favorable ruling for Robert Szustkowski by the Polish courts, which confirmed that his personal rights—namely, his good name and dignity—had been violated by the publication of false and unverified information in various RASP media outlets. The bilateral Settlement was intended to resolve a legal dispute that had been ongoing since 2017, triggered by a series of articles published by RASP journalists who systematically attempted to undermine Szustkowski’s credibility. The publications, full of insinuations and suggestions regarding alleged unclear ties between the businessman and Russia, gradually escalated into media attacks and social ostracism.
The 2020 Settlement was intended to remove the effects of the violation of Szustkowski’s personal rights and to prevent further violations. However, this has not occurred, as the original articles published by RASP are still being circulated in the media, including within RASP itself. “Had Ringier Axel Springer Polskaproperly implemented the 2020 Settlement by permanently removing the effects of the violation of my personal rights, as well as honoring its guarantee to prevent further violations, my reputation would not have been completely ruined,” emphasizes Robert Szustkowski.
The defamatory media materials published over the years in numerous RASP titles have solidified the negative image of Robert Szustkowski as a Russian influence agent—a particularly damaging accusation in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The consequences of these defamatory claims have included, among other things, the need to withdraw investments from Poland, the closure of his charitable foundation, exclusion from social life, health problems, and the need to protect the safety of himself and his family. Szustkowski’s son is also currently facing the repercussions of these false allegations regarding ties to Russia, significantly affecting his personal and professional life.
The purpose of the Settlement with RASP was not only to obtain an apology and payment of an agreed amount to charity but also to limit the scale of violations of Szustkowski’s personal rights and to increase the responsibility of publishers for the accuracy of the content they publish. Other publishers have also entered settlements with Robert Szustkowski or published corrections regarding the violations of his personal rights concerning alleged, unclear ties to Russia.
Pacta sunt servanda.
*The lawsuit was filed with the Polish courts on December 19, 2024.
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
