Closer ordered to pay €15k damages
Actress Julie Gayet had claimed €50,000 damages from celebrity magazine over controversial photographs
CELEBRITY magazine Closer has been ordered to pay €15,000 damages to actress Julie Gayet.
The magazine caused a political storm in France in January by publishing photographs of President François Hollande, 59, and Ms Gayet, 41, arriving separately at a Paris apartment for alleged trysts.
The Tribunal de Grande Instance in Nanterre this afternoon ordered the magazine to pay Ms Gayet’s €15,000 in damages - a fraction of the €50,000 plus €4,000 costs she had claimed.
Mr Hollande split with long-time partner Valerie Trierweiler, 49, following the scandal but, after expressing his “complete outrage” at a press conference on January 14, has since refused to comment on his private life or the nature of his relationship with Ms Gayet.
During court hearings on March 6, Ms Gayet's lawyer Jean Ennochi said the actress had been “hounded” by the press.
“She was assaulted by swarms of photographers.... it was like a wild animal hunt,” he said.
Closer's lawyer Delphine Pando told the court the magazine was justified in publishing the photographs.
She said they were in the public interest because they raised questions about presidential security.
Ms Gayet’s case was heard on the same day as Ms Trierweiler was awarded €12,000 for breach of privacy after pictures of her in a swimsuit while on holiday in Mauritius.
