Contergan victim wins against former board member of the Contergan Foundation

In the lawsuit between the plaintiff, Contergan (thalidomide) victim Andreas Meyer, and the defendant and former Board member of the Contergan Foundation, Attorney Karl Schucht, the Bonn Regional Court came to a judgement on 10.5.2017. The judgement is not yet final. The case concerns the question of possible collaboration between Grünenthal and the Federal German Contergan Foundation:

Attorney Karl Schucht is forbidden to make the following assertion:

“Mr Meyer alleged that Grünenthal has been looking into the personal files of the beneficiaries at the Contergan Foundation for 30 years. This allegation is untrue. Grünenthal has never had access to the medical files of the Contergan Foundation. The medical files were and are always kept in the office of the Contergan Foundation.”

In the event that Attorney Schucht should repeat this assertion, he would face a fine of up to 250,000 € or alternatively up to 6 months detention.

Furthermore, Attorney Schucht must make a rectification in writing to the members of the Family Affairs Committee of the German Federal Parliament in the 17th Legislative Period:

“I hereby make the following rectification. Mr Meyer’s statements were not untrue. Grünenthal GmbH had access to the medical files of the Contergan Foundation in the person of the head of its Legal Department and Marketing Department, Attorney Herbert Wartensleben, who was Chairman of the Medical Commission of the Contergan Foundation from 1972 until 2003.”

The remaining parts of Meyer’s suit against Schucht were rejected.

Meyer has lodged an appeal against the judgement in respect to the parts of the suit that were rejected.

Meyer was and will be represented by Prof. Dr. Jan Hegemann from the law firm Raue Rechtsanwälte LLP in Berlin. Hegemann considers that an appeal against the judgement has a good chance of success.

Meyer said: “Now the Federal Family Affairs Ministry, which has been responsible for supervision of the Contergan Foundation since 1972, must explain to the public why it allowed this Grünenthal sleaze in the Contergan Foundation to go on for 30 years.”

You can read the judgement and further information at the following link: http://www.gruenenthal-opfer.de/Materials_Judgement_Meyer_vs_Schucht_10_05_2017

CONTACT:

Federation of Thalidomide Sufferers and Grünenthal Victims

c/o Mr Andreas Meyer (Chairman)

Dohmengasse 7

50829 Köln

e-mail: bcg-brd-dachverband@gmx.de

Website: www.gruenenthal-opfer.de

Mobile: +49 (0)172 / 2905974