Weißmann announces lawsuit against "Falter" and takes ORF to court

At the same time, the ORF itself came under pressure. The Equality Ombudsman stated that the ORF had breached its duty of care. The authority was responding to complaints filed in the course of the chat affair. Within the ORF, the allegation that it had not acted sufficiently against the documented communication is being raised from various sides.

Equality Ombudsman identifies breaches of duty of care

The Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office meanwhile opened investigations on suspicion of violations of personality or data protection rights. According to the news magazine "Falter," an ORF employee and a lawyer are affected. The investigations are connected to the question of how the chats came about and whether legal boundaries were crossed in the process. The role of lawyer Clemens Pig, who is acting as representative of the affected woman in the matter, is also highlighted in the reports.

The affected woman, whose chat messages to Weißmann are the subject of the reporting, turned to the public herself. She stated that the classification as "no sexual harassment" was "eindeutig Lüge." This statement contradicts preliminary assessments that the ORF is said to have made internally, which had denied a criminally relevant offense.

Public Prosecutor's Office investigates

The conflict is significantly burdening the ORF at the start of a new programming and leadership season. The public-service broadcaster, which has repeatedly had to grapple with internal leadership debates in recent years, now finds itself facing a civil dispute, ongoing investigations, and an external review by the Equality Ombudsman all at once. Within the ORF, a review is currently underway of what consequences are to be drawn from the statements of the supervisory authority.

From the editorial office of "Falter," it was stated that the chats had been published following careful journalistic review. The editorial office invokes a predominant public interest in the question of how the Director General of Austria's largest media company communicates privately. Weißmann, by contrast, had countered that parts of the correspondence had been taken out of context.

Parallel to the announced lawsuit against "Falter," internal review processes are underway at the ORF. According to reports, the broadcaster's Foundation Council is dealing with the matter. An ORF spokesperson stated that the broadcaster takes the Equality Ombudsman's statement seriously and will review all necessary steps. No specific personnel consequences were initially announced.

Legal dispute with Falter

Observers expect the legal dispute to drag on for several months. Alongside the civil lawsuit against "Falter," further proceedings could follow — for example, a dispute over whether the ORF breached its obligations under labor law to protect the affected woman. The Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office stressed that the investigations are at an early stage.

The case casts a spotlight on the tension between privacy protection, journalistic reporting, and the public interest in the leadership level of a public-service broadcaster. Legal experts see in the parallel conduct of multiple proceedings the possibility that individual questions can only be conclusively answered after all proceedings have been concluded.

Overall, it is becoming apparent that the Weißmann affair will continue to occupy the ORF for weeks to come. The upcoming hearing dates, the Foundation Council's statement, and the progress of the Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office's investigations are likely to shape the debate further. The affair has already directed media attention to the handling of power, communication, and responsibility in Austria's public-service broadcasting.