It's official: El Confidencial ends up convicted over Florentino Pérez's audios

The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Florentino Pérez. Real Madrid's president won his lawsuit against El Confidencial and its director, Ignacio Cardero.

The ruling upholds the decision of Madrid's Court of First Instance 42 from October 6, 2022. It was also confirmed by the Provincial Court.

The case dates back to July 2021. El Confidencial published audio recordings of a private conversation of Florentino Pérez without his consent.

The judge states that the publication aimed to damage the image of Real Madrid's president. “The intention was not to inform, but to steer public opinion toward a negative view of the plaintiff,” the ruling notes.

The court finds that there was an unlawful intrusion into Florentino Pérez's right to honor. The publication did not seek to inform the public, but to discredit him.

Measures and sentence

The ruling requires El Confidencial and Cardero to publish the sentence in all digital and print editions of newspapers such as As, Marca, El Confidencial, El País, and El Mundo. They must do so on central pages and in the same size as other news stories.

In addition, it is permanently forbidden to disseminate the audio recordings in whole or in part. They may not be reproduced in any format.

The financial compensation is symbolic: 1 euro. Even so, those convicted must cover all court costs.

Real Madrid issued an official statement: “El Confidencial and its director Ignacio Cardero, convicted for unlawful intrusion into the honor of Real Madrid's president, Florentino Pérez.”

The ruling makes it clear that the newspaper overstepped in its use of freedom of information. The court finds that the action aimed to discredit the president, not to inform.

Repercussions

The ruling sets an important precedent regarding respect for the privacy of public figures. Although the audio recordings caused millions of views and media attention, their publication was deemed illegal.

Florentino Pérez, who requested only 1 euro in damages, has managed to protect his honor. The case shows that even well-known media outlets can be held accountable when someone's privacy is deliberately violated.

The ruling is now final and requires compliance with all imposed measures. El Confidencial will have to abide by the sentence under threat of sanctions in case of non-compliance.