Aschaffenburg/Bamberg (dpa/lby) - Lower Franconia's District President Erwin Dotzel (CSU) has to pay a party colleague 750 euros in damages because he described him as a "right louse" in a WhatsApp chat. The judgment of the regional court in Aschaffenburg is now final, said a spokesman for the higher regional court (OLG) in Bamberg on Tuesday. The sixth civil senate of the Higher Regional Court rejected the plaintiff's appeal. According to the spokesman for the judiciary, the appeal of the defendant, who had also challenged the judgment, is therefore no longer valid.
In addition to the compensation for pain and suffering, Dotzel has to pay his CSU colleague out-of-court legal fees of around 160 euros, as the spokesman for the OLG Bamberg confirmed. The plaintiff had originally demanded 12,750 euros in compensation for pain and suffering. The "Main-Post" had previously reported that the judgment in the civil process is final.
In September 2021, the Lower Franconian district president described the party friend as a "right louse" in a group chat of the CSU local association in Wörth am Main. Nevertheless, he was finally acquitted of the charge of insult in a criminal trial.
According to the judgment of the District Court of Obernburg am Main, it was not possible to prove that Erwin Dotzel had intentionally posted the message in the group chat. It is also possible that this was a mistake and that the accused actually wanted to send the message to someone else. In this case, the protection of privacy applies, according to the court. The public prosecutor appealed against the acquittal. But in the second instance, the district court of Aschaffenburg confirmed Dotzel's acquittal.
