Robert Sarv, lawyer for the radio presenter, confirmed to ERR that the claim has reached court and added that an official order to initiate proceedings has also been filed.

Sarv could not yet confirm if Kivisaar will make another claim against all people involved with the petition. "That is still in the deciding phase but I believe it will become clear in the coming days," Sarv said.

ERR News wrote on July 30 that in May, Kivisaar discussed protests and riots in the U.S. which followed the death of George Floyd, a black American who was under arrest in Minneapolis, MN. Kivisaar allegedly used a racially derogative term when discussing the episode.

Kivisaar's remarks then spread via Twitter and were subsequently picked up by Black Lives Matter (BLM) Estonia, part of the wider global BLM movement.

Student and artist Katrina Raiend initiated a petition calling for Kivisaar's dismissal, which gained the support of thousands and after which Kivisaar said he would sue several individuals for slander, adding he had been the target of a mass online defamation campaign.

Kivisaar has said he provided an opportunity for the parties involved to apologize, to repair the damage and to avoid going to court, but that this had not been taken up and a €75,000 damages claim had to be filed.

Raiend, who goes by the online handle Katrina Indiana, has said €75,000 is a sum she is in no position to come up with.

"As an artist and a student, a claim for damages of that amount comes as a real shock to me," Raiend wrote on her Twitter account earlier.

"Contrary to the impression given to the public, Kivisaar has not wanted to find any other solution, including an apology," she added.

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