Condemned 'El jueves' to pay 6,000 euros to Christian Lawyers for naming their president Idiot of the Year
The judge deliberates in favor of the foundation's director, Polonia Castellanos, after holding the trial last February 9
The magazine El jueves and the RBA communication group that publishes it have been sentenced for illegitimate interference with the right to honor by having selected Polonia Castellanos, president of the Spanish Foundation of Christian Lawyers, as one of the "Dumbasses of the Year" in 2024. Although the sentence is not final because there is a right of appeal, the Court of First Instance of Valladolid has ruled in favor of Castellanos, who will receive compensation of 4,000 euros for damages caused, plus the 2,000 that the foundation will receive.
The Court of First Instance of Valladolid also orders the satire magazine, which already has experience in accusations and lawsuits, to publish the sentence in the next issue and to remove the "Dumbasses of the Year" section from the January 2025 issue. The sentence concludes that there is an interference with Castellanos' right to honor, and considers it unjustified by the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression, which does not include the right to insult.
El jueves awarded the award to Castellanos in a cartoon in which it was said: “So yes, dumbass, but not dumbass of fools, but dumbass of evil, of petty people, of selfish people who only seek to tarnish the common good”. The illustration also read: "The ultracatholic lobby is filing complaints according to its twisted interpretation of faith instead of sticking to the legal framework. And so it goes, it has practically not won any lawsuit since it emerged in 2008dumbass”. The magazine has maintained this section for many years.
