Lunghi trial postponed until mid-April

According to preliminary information, the lawyer broke his leg. The trial in the so-called Lunghi Case was therefore postponed until mid-April. Vogel was unable to attend the hearing on Wednesday morning and could not be replaced.

On Tuesday, the trial had to be interrupted after an hour and a half of hearing, due to the health condition of the lawyer.

What is the 'Lunghi Case'?

In October 2016, RTL journalist Sophie Schram interviewed the then director of the Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art (MUDAM), Enrico Lunghi, for the programme Den Nol op de Kapp. When Schram asked Lunghi why he refused to exhibit paintings by a certain Luxembourgish artist, the director lost his cool. The footage broadcast on TV showed Lunghi pacing back and forth before grabbing Schram by the wrist in which she held her microphone and declaring "Seriously, if you broadcast this, I will never talk to you again."

However, it was later revealed that the footage had been edited in a questionable manner. The edited version omitted both the fact that Schram had repeatedly asked the same question and that the interview actually continued for several minutes after the incident. The original footage, which was eventually made public, even showed that Lunghi had apologised for his behaviour. It also revealed that Lunghi and Schram were not strangers but had known each other for a long time.

The affair had significant fallout, leading to the resignation of Enrico Lunghi as MUDAM director and Alain Berwick as director general of RTL. Berwick as well as the then head of programming Steve Schmit, the creator of the original report, Marc Thoma, and Schram have been sued for slander, defamation, and involuntary bodily injury in the form of "mental health problems" by Lunghi.