Lawyer must admit on radio he lied about former Prime Minister Kaja Kallas
On Monday, a court ruling took effect in a civil dispute between former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and attorney-at-law Paul Keres. The circuit court's decision requires Keres to retract his statements regarding Kallas. However, Keres is no longer required to make a €15,000 donation.
The decision took effect after the Supreme Court declined to hear Paul Keres' appeal against the Tallinn Circuit Court's ruling from May 10 of this year.
Kaja Kallas (Reform) filed her lawsuit after Paul Keres stated on November 30, 2021, during an episode of Radio Kuku's "Sihik" talk show, that both Kallas, who was prime minister at the time, and Mailis Reps, a former minister of education and research from the Center Party who was on trial for fraud and embezzlement of public funds, had allegedly organized their birthday parties at the state's expense.
Both the lower court and the circuit court ruled that this claim was untrue. Within two weeks of the decision's enforcement, Paul Keres must issue the following statement on the "Sihik" program: "My statement, made on Kuku Radio's 'Sihik' program on November 30, 2021, at 12:00 p.m., that Prime Minister Kaja Kallas organized a birthday party on June 17, 2021, at the state's expense, is false."
However, the court dismissed the remainder of the plaintiff's claims, and both parties will bear their own legal costs for the circuit court proceedings. Last year, the lower tier court ruled that Keres must cover Kaja Kallas' legal expenses, which amounted to €13,410.
The Harju County Court had also ordered Keres to pay €15,000 in compensation for non-material damages. The circuit court overturned this, rejecting the plaintiff's claim for moral damages.
The circuit court found that the evidence presented did not indicate that the defendant's intention was to harm the plaintiff's honor and dignity. Furthermore, the court noted that an attorney's professional ethics are not violated simply due to incorrect factual findings.
Keres is also representing Mailis Reps in her case, alongside Andri Rohtla.
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Editor: Mari Peegel, Sergei Mihhailov, Marcus Turovski