Overview
- The Hamburg Regional Court's press chamber, chaired by Kristina Feustel, rejected complaints by Ulrich Vosgerau and Gernot Mörig against Correctiv and five staff members (cases 324 O 6/25 and 324 O 7/25).
- The plaintiffs sought to prohibit key formulations, including the summary that the Potsdam discussion amounted to a 'master plan to expel German citizens.'
- The court found readers could distinguish verbatim quotes from evaluative summaries and stated no participant literally advocated 'expulsion' or 'deportation' of German citizens.
- Judges allowed the 'expulsion' phrasing as a permissible value judgment linked to Martin Sellner's idea of exerting legal 'pressure' on non‑assimilated citizens and accepted the report's constitutional critique as an evaluation.
- The rulings are not final and appeals remain possible; lawyers for the plaintiffs claimed substantive vindication, whereas Correctiv's counsel framed the outcome as a press‑law victory following a report that prompted nationwide protests after publication in January 2024.