Berlin, Cologne In the dispute between the media group Axel Springer and the former “Bild” editor-in-chief Julian Reichelt, there are no signs of a quick agreement. Both sides were irreconcilable on Friday in a conciliation meeting before the Berlin Labor Court. Springer demands the repayment of a settlement in the millions and a contractual penalty from Reichelt. He denies the allegations and has filed a counterclaim.
The dispute began on October 18, 2021. On that day, Reichelt lost his position as editor-in-chief of “Bild”. After a compliance procedure because of allegations of abuse of power, for example against women, he initially remained in office. Even after that, Reichelt “did not clearly separate private and professional matters and told the board of directors the untruth,” the publisher said on the occasion of the separation.
Shortly before, the “New York Times” had reported on numerous affairs of the then married “Bild” editor-in-chief with young employees and a possible abuse of power.
On November 3, 2022, both sides signed a termination agreement. According to Handelsblatt information, Reichelt received a gross settlement of two million euros. A few days later, after deducting taxes and social security contributions and a Springer claim against Reichelt, almost one million euros flowed into his account.
Axel Springer is now demanding this money back – plus a contractual penalty of an unknown amount. In essence, the publisher says that Reichelt violated contractual obligations under the termination agreement. The journalist promised not to poach “Bild” employees, not to take any documents with him and to delete official files.
The conciliation hearing on Friday in Room 334 of the Berlin Labor Court, which only lasted around half an hour, showed how hardened the fronts are. Asked by the judge about the possibility of an amicable agreement, the lawyer for Springer-Verlag found a short answer: “No,” said Christian Hoefs from the law firm Hengeler Mueller.
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At least Julian Reichelt’s legal counsel saw a chance. But for that, he explained, Springer would need insight into the compliance investigation of the law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer give. Axel Springer commissioned this from the end of 2020 to investigate the allegations against Reichelt. The Freshfields lawyers around partner Simone Kampfer conducted numerous interviews with women who are said to have had a relationship with Reichelt.
According to his lawyers, Reichelt has no knowledge of the results so far, and he cannot defend himself against the accusation. Springer’s lawyer rejected this as confidentiality had to be maintained.
In the approximately 30-minute negotiation, the discussion between the parties revolved around the question of whether chat messages between Reichelt and an employee were private or business. Springer classifies these as company-internal documents because the former “Bild” editor-in-chief had a relationship with the woman. Reichelt should therefore not have sent these to the Berliner Verlag and its owner Holger Friedrich, but they should have been destroyed.
Reichelt’s lawyers speak of defamation
Reichelt’s media lawyer Ben Irle spoke on Friday of a “targeted slander campaign” against his client and “made-up allegations of abuse of power”. Reichelt has a comprehensive right to information against Axel Springer SE, which he wants to enforce with the counterclaim. Reichelt could not defend himself against many allegations because the publisher withheld numerous documents that allegedly incriminated him.
Above all, Reichelt denies the accusation that he passed on internal company documents and also failed to delete official data in violation of the contract. Springer, on the other hand, accuses the Ex-Bild boss, Holger Friedrich, the publisher of the “Berliner Zeitung”, of such information to have leaked.
Friedrich said in an interview with “Manager Magazin” that Reichelt had offered him information about his communication with Axel Springer boss Matthias Döpfner. Friedrich refused – and informed Döpfner on April 19 about the process.
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On April 20, Springer filed a labor lawsuit against Reichelt, followed shortly thereafter by a criminal complaint with the Berlin public prosecutor’s office, which has now started investigations. In the meantime, Reichelt has turned on criminal defense lawyers himself. Katharina and Alfred Dierlamm want to get the public prosecutor to drop the case.
The claim that Friedrich received “material from the Axel Springer house” from Reichelt on April 16, 2023 was “demonstrably untrue,” said Reichelt’s lawyer Irle. It is correct that Friedrich was only given the wording of a private chat between his client and the anonymous witness for the prosecution for the allegation of “sex-on-demand” abuse of power made against Reichelt. “This is clearly not material from the Axel Springer company,” said Irle.
In addition, Reichelt has not poached anyone from Axel Springer Verlag for his new company Rome Medien. The labor court dispute is now to be heard in a court of appeal in November.
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