Uzhgorod citizen, whom Ratushniak abused in mass media, won 5 thousand hryvnia by court action for moral damage

The Judges Board of Civil Cases Trial Chamber of the Transcarpathian region Court of Appeal made a decision in the case of compensation abuse and untrue information distribution of the former Mayor of Uzhgorod Serhii Ratushniak on May 16. The interview with severe expressions and baseless accusations against the entrepreneur, the chairperson of the board of Regional Ukrainian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in Transcarpathian region Margaryta Moshchak was published in several publications, particularly in ‘Trybuna’ and even in the Uzhgorod City Council ‘Uzhgorod’ newspaper.

Margaryta Mykolaivna appealed to the court with the law suit of honor, dignity and business defense, the moral damage compensation. Uzhgorod City District Court made a decision to satisfy the claim, but with a slightly less amount of payment for moral damage. Ratushniak tried to appeal against the decision, saying that he did not mean to say contempt, besides he did not agreed the publication with such expression, etc. After all the court convicted Moshchak’s rightness and made the decision that the former Uzhgorod Mayor, who has a sharp tongue, must repay 5 thousand hryvnia’s compensation.

Margaryta Moshchak explained that although everybody knows Ratushniak’s intolerance to his opponents, and especially those who denounced his deals with ‘insider privatization’ of Uzhgorod citizens’ property, we cannot stand such lawlessness anymore. Therefore, she appealed filthy expression’s distribution in the media, information that is absolutely untrue. ‘In the defendants’ lawsuit – said Margaryta Mykolaivna – I mentioned editors and mass media leaders, Gavryliv and Goisa, but demanded compensation from Ratushniak, because everyone knows that journalists only performed his orders and transferred his speech. And for the money, which court forced Ratushniak to pay and by on my own means, I want to set a nice swing made by the Transcarpathian blacksmith masters on the territory of Uzhgorod castle.’