Eurosport - Fri, 25 Jul 18:31:00 2008
Motor racing chief Max Mosley has won £60,000 damages from The News of the World after a High Court judge ruled the newspaper violated his privacy.
The tabloid published details of his part in a sado-masochistic orgy, claiming that it had Nazi connotations.
Mosley, president of Formula One's governing body, did not deny taking part in a sex session with five prostitutes, but said his privacy was violated by the newspaper's reporting of it.
The judge, Justice David Eady, sided with Mosley, saying in a written judgement he had a "reasonable expectation of privacy in relation to sexual activities (albeit unconventional) carried on between consenting adults on private property".
He awarded Mosley £60,000 in damages and said the newspaper should pay his legal costs - estimated at £450,000.
The case was closely watched by media lawyers, newspapers and celebrities as it carried the potential to set a new benchmark for privacy, deterring the media from excessive intrusion into the lives of high-profile figures.
But Eady said he did not see his ruling as a landmark, saying it merely followed existing privacy law.
Mosley, 68, brought the case earlier this month, saying the newspaper, which published pictures showing him being spanked by women dressed as prison guards, was responsible for a "gross and indefensible intrusion of his private life".
The News of the World had claimed Mosley, the son of Britain's 1930 Fascist leader Oswald Mosley, was involved in Nazi role-playing and that the sex session was an example of "true depravity" not just harmless "hanky spanky".
Giving evidence during the case, Mosley confessed to having had a penchant for sado-masochism from an early age, but dismissed any suggestion of a Nazi fetish. He said he could think of few things more unerotic given his family history.
The News of the World's contention of a Nazi element to the orgy fell apart when its star witness, a prostitute married to an MI5 agent who secretly filmed the event, failed to turn up to give evidence. She had been expected to say that Mosley had requested a Nazi theme. The other four prostitutes involved in the orgy denied any Nazi element.
After the story emerged, Mosley faced pressure to quit his job but held on after winning a confidence vote at an extraordinary general assembly of the FIA.
In court, he revealed that his wife of 48 years had had no idea about his sado-masochistic fetish. He said he had frequently paid up to £2,500 a time to have prostitutes beat, whip and humiliate him.
Comment 50 - 69 of 69
Let me say up front that I could not care less what Max does in his bedroom (or where ever he gets his kicks), but he has become a huge embaressment to a once noble sport and needs to leave (and quickly)! F1 is all about sponser-money, and if you were pouring millions into a sport, would you want Mosley and your company name linked? Leave Max, your killing F1 (and take Bernie with you, he needs a good spanking!
What the F--- does Ferrari have to do with this? Why do you people blame everything on them? If Ferrari was really calling the shots in F1, do you really think that McLaren, Renault, Honda, Mercedes, etc. would continue pouring millions of dollars into the sport? Use your brains, please !!!
I agree with sdcharger717 above.
Mosely has done untold damage to my favourite sport and he should go, but of course nothing will happen until Ferrari give the go-ahead - like everything else in F-1.
American Indie cars and drivers may be rubbish but at least the series are not as plagued by lure of big money as F1 is.
Good on you Mr Mosley; i hope those scum bags involved spend the rest of their miserable lives ducking and diving because they deserve no less; as for News of The World, you can't just blame them, you have to look at their readers as well. Everyone knows it is sleeze bucket edition but what the hell, every sunday morning millions go to the shop, hand over their money for one reason and one reason only...to read sleeze, garbage and find out who's life is being targeted this week. When will we make a stand and stop buying the rubbish?
p53
From dukedarim,
By not going,and we the people accepting him to stay in his job, I think this is sending a message to the millions of YOUNGSTERS...
...................
what a lot of sh*,those YOUNGSTERS carry knifes and other Weapons,they do not watch and read about F1
Jackie Stewart the money-man thinks he can fool us,
he is only interest is money,and Max Mosley stand on his way...
O.k. admit it.
Charles, Prince of Wales, Diana Princess of Wales,and Camilla,
now Duchess of Cornwall.
just wander if Camillas husband...you know...lol
What about her husband MI5, he has not filming licences.
...a prostitute married to an MI5 agent who secretly filmed the event.
English hypocrisy.
Well done Max, right or wrong regards what others think about the background to the case, the law is, in this case, the winner. I'm only sorry that the trash paper, NOTW, was not fined or penalised more. The courts should have taken a whole years profits! Regardless of if Max is a public figure or not, a persons private life is just that. There is no justification for invasion of privacy regardless who the person is or what rank in society they may hold.
wow big deal there are many people in high profiled jobs like this and leading secret lives and frankly that is their own decision and nobody has the right to spy or infiltrate their personal lives. So what if he does this he cannot donate his entire waking day to his profession.
What about her husband MI5, he has not filming licences.
...a prostitute married to an MI5 agent who secretly filmed the event.
lol
bernie need to go!
Time to control yourself.
Bernie thing he can fool us,he is intrested only in money... Mosley stand on his way
The News of the World...only fools read papers like this
He has been cheating on his wife for God knows how long... his business not your.
Max Mosley is/has been good at his job...i agree
80% of man will had been unhappy with their lives these days without the prostitutes
I think Mclaren had something to do with this because they feel that Mosley was siding with ferrari even though they cheated.....this is true
FU CKING AR SWIPE. EAT MY SHI T.
Honestly who cares what people do or dont do in private. No one would have even known about this had the media not got involved, so as for being a role model or representing a country, it really doesn't matter.
There are far worse things celebs can and do in public that are more detrimental as "Role Models". Take Britney for example, thousends of young girls look up to her, and for a while every day she would be seen falling out of bars and clubs.
The media has alot to answer for.
StevenB,
Whether you like it or not, the conduct of a celebrity do play a part in many cultures around the world. F1 and motorsport is the world wide sport. Given that Mosley is the representative of world of motorsport, he is really representing every countries. For countries which are conservative, he is looked at as a bad role model and these countries do not want him to represent them. In that aspect, he has already failed in his responsibility as a representative.
Can you remember that when the news was broke out, the royalty in Bahrain didn't want him to turn out in their "party"? So, has he failed in his duty as a representative of motorsport again?
If Mosley is a nobody like you and me, there is no problem. As you right said so, the press would not even be interested in what we do. Mosley is world public figure. He needs to be more careful. What's done in closed door, keep it closed. As long as nobody knows, he is fine. When such secret act is exposed, come clean with it. There will be people who does not want him to represent them anymore simply only because he is no longer a good role model to those countries who view things differently.
Shame on you old man Mosley.Time to control yourself.
AT LAST!! A FEW VOICES OF REASON ARE HEARD!!!! first steve b. then more to my way of thinking,sdcharger717. whether you approve of what mosley did or not anyone who cares about F1 should agree that mosley AND bernie need to go! the good of the sport has never been first and foremost in either of their minds.
dukedarim: your comment is the most silliest thing i have ever read? that means anyone that cheats on their partner should also lose their jobs???? stick to watching f1 and keep your baby thoughts to yourself. Otherwise everyone will be out of a job, because i am sure there are a lot of english people that cheat on their wives not to mention all the movie actors as well. So i guess they should also get fired as well because they have a high profile job??? maybe getting a speeding ticket you should lose your job as well then? that menas all of england would be unemployed....please don't ever get into politics otherwise you'll ruin Britian!
I think now that the whole sordid affair is over, Mosely should resign.He has been cheating on his wife for God knows how long.( the fact that he admitted that his fetish for sado-masochism started at a very earl age, makes one wonder if he has ever been faithful to her!)
By not going,and we the people accepting him to stay in his job, I think this is sending a message to the millions of YOUNGSTERS who religiously watch and read about F1 That its ok to Cheat on your partner and still keep a very high profile job.
some people believe too much with newspapers. He had those things at a young age not at his age of 68! he even says when he was young, probably way before he was even in the FIA probably before he was even married. Leave the guy alone. I think Mclaren had something to do with this because they feel that Mosley was siding with ferrari even though they cheated, what they did was far worst that what Mosley has done. They took advantage of another team instead of reporting it to the FIA they used the information to better their car, they really shouldn't be in F1, if they weren't a british car they would have been axed!! i didn't see the newspapers hammering mclaren as they have mosley. strange, news always spin @#$% to make the public believe what they want them to believe, only people with no brians and can't think for themselves believe them. That's like the whole world believing Iraq has weapons of mass destruction hahaha the biggest lie in the 21st century and everyone believed the PM and president haha how easy is it to fool countries with no brians eg Britian, Australia and the USA. Strange that the french didn't believe it and didn't help, they must be a smart race of people unlike us hahaha What people do in their private life is their business i am sure 100% that no one here would like their life documented by the world of the news to every brianless person out there. All good and well to talk it up, lets see if you bang your wife and the news of the world put it at their front cover page "man rapes wife" try to explain that one! that is how easy it is to spin a story to their liking, and unfortunately in life people believe the first thing they see or read
Steve B,
Everything you've said is true (and very well said at that), however, both Max M, and Bernie E, have, in their quest for fame and alot of fortune, garnered major ill will with both fans and teams alike. If lots and lots of people grab hold of this incident and use it to try to oust Max, well, you can't blame them. My own opinion is that Max and Bernie have become a real detrement to a sport that I have loved for over 35 years. I wish them no ill will, only that they would leave, and place the sport in the hands of someone that still respects it.
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