"Kolo" journalist refuses settlement with former City Council secretary whom she is suing over cyber bullying
The editor-in-chief of the Poltava media outlet "Kolo", Tetyana Tsirulnik, refused a settlement with the ex-secretary of the Poltava City Council, Andriy Karpov, whom she is suing for cyberbullying.
The journalist wrote this on Facebook and confirmed to the IMI representative in Poltava oblast.
Tsirulnik remarked that her litigation with Deputy Karpov has been going on for half a year and that her lawyer proposed a settlement.
"There really was a reason to settle: the trial has been going on for six months and will continue for another year or more. I dont enjoy going to the court, the trial interferes with my work – since I'm suing Karpov I probably shouldn't be writing about him on the website, because I'm biased, right? And we can't not write about an official either, because that's our job as journalists. There's also the moral aspect: even if I win the case, the court will not be able to force Karpov to apologize to me! It is not within their power. And the financial aspect: the court fees, the lawyer's salary, the examinations – I'm paying for everything," wrote Tetyana Tsirulnik.
She also added that she had spoken with Karpov's lawyer.
"They plan to throw all possible examinations at me so that I keep paying for them (because I am the plaintiff). In a year or two, if I win the case, Karpov will pay me back, but for now I am the one spending money. And it will be expensive (again, according to his lawyer), one examination costs about 50 thousand hryvnias. That's why I thought about it and decided to settle. I wanted Karpov to write something along the lines of 'I said it wrong, I apologize to Tetyana' on social media, pay for the trial, gave me a refund for the lawyer's services and a small moral redress – and that's it," the journalist wrote.
However, Tsirulnik added that after Andriy Karpov's posts about the newly elected Poltava City Council secretary, Kateryna Yamshchykova, she changed her mind.
"I'm looking at what this blogger is doing now, absolutely smearing Kateryna Yamshchykova, a soldier and a good person. And I understand that I shouldn't be looking for easy solutions. Rude people should be taught a lesson, not reconciled with. Let this be my small contribution to the formation of a competent political community in Poltava. Amen," the media worker wrote.
As IMI reported, in February 2023 the editor-in-chief of the Poltava website "Kolo", Tetiana Tsirulnik, has filed a lawsuit against Poltava City Council secretary Andriy Karpov after facing cyber bullying over her article about Karpov.
An October 26 news report titled "The price for 8 years of Vata Show: Poltava City Council secretary Andriy Karpov is raising money for an operation," had a reference to the official's Telegram channel, where he wrote about his treatment and the fundraising campaign. Karpov posted this article on his social media, having taken screenshots from the "Kolo" website. The official accused the journalist of distorting the truth, claiming that she had written a news article with the headline "Karpov is raising money for penis enlargement/reduction surgery." After that, Karpov's supporters started humiliating and insulting the journalist in the comments under his Facebook post.
Nadia Kucher, Kateryna Dyachuk
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