Court fines LB’s editor-in-chief for spreading fakes about UOC hierarch
The court recognised the information about "sexual intimacy" between Bishop Nikita of Ivano-Frankivsk and a minor as false, ordering Koshkina to pay a fine of UAH 20,000.
The Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv ruled in favor of Bishop Nikita of Ivano-Frankivsk and Kolomyia, recognizing as false the information about his "sexual intimacy" with a minor spread by Sonia Koshkina, the chief editor of the publication "Livyi Bereh" ("Left Bank") and a lobbyist for the OCU. This was reported by Glavcom.
The information about the so-called "sexual intimacy" between Bishop Nikita and his underage assistant was spread by the LB publication and Sonia Koshkina in November 2022.
On December 15, 2022, during a press conference at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Bishop Nikita of Ivano-Frankivsk and Kolomyia announced the filing of a lawsuit due to libel.
During the trial, it was established that this information does not correspond to reality.
The journalist admitted to spreading false information. As for Sonia Koshkina's Telegram channel (official), the journalist's lawyer assured that Sonia Koshkina is not its owner and has no relation to it at all. However, the court found that it was Koshkina who owns the Telegram channel where the libel was published.
The court ruled that the publication "Left Bank" and Sonia Koshkina personally must refute the disseminated information. The media outlet is required to pay Bishop Nikita 10 thousand UAH for moral damages and 2.2 thousand UAH for court fees. Sonia Koshkina will pay the bishop compensation in the amount of 20 thousand UAH for moral damages and 2.4 thousand UAH for court fees.
It was also reported that the minor who was also affected by the libel was forced to leave Ukraine due to bullying by friends.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Bishop Nikita had disclosed details of a search in the Chernivtsi diocese.
