Court sides with journalist Iryna Hryb in lawsuit by Odesa Oblast Council chair
The Odesa Court of Appeal dismissed the majority of demands made by the Odesa Oblast Council chair, Hryhoriy Didenko, for retraction of information reported by journalist Iryna Hryb regarding Didenko’s alleged involvement in corruption in the healthcare industry. The ruling was issued on April 29, reports Intent.
The court ruled that Iryna Hryb has no obligation to take down information posted on social media. The posts in question were made in September 2023 on "Irochka explains..." pages on Facebook and Telegram. In her reporting, the journalist alleged that Hryhoriy Didenko was complicit in corruption schemes, namely in cooperation with a former oncology clinic director Oleksandr Mykhailenko, who possibly paid money for the position.
Didenko first filed the lawsuit with the Illichivsk City Court, demanding that the reported information be declared misleading, that it be taken down and a retraction be published. The first instance court denied his claim. The official filed an appeal.
The Odesa Court of Appeal agreed with some of Didenko’s arguments, recognizing that some of the posts were presented as facts without proper confirmation. At the same time, the court did not consider this as sufficient grounds to order a takedown or retraction of the posts. Only the motivation part of the first instance ruling was changed – the refusal to satisfy the claim itself was left in effect.
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