Russian businessman Deripaska sues Polonsky in 2-billion-ruble legal action over insults on YouTube - lawyer

MOSCOW. April 5 (Interfax) - Businessman Oleg Deripaska has lodged a defamation lawsuit with the Ust-Labinsky District Court of the Krasnodar Territory against businessman Sergei Polonsky and companies Google LLC and RTVI Production in a legal action to protect his business reputation, the plaintiff's lawyer Alexei Melnikov told Interfax.

"In the lawsuit, we ask the court to order Polonsky to refute his false and insulting statements that Deripaska has allegedly committed various criminal offenses," Melnikov said.

Deripaska's reason for taking the case to court was Polonsky's interview published on YouTube on December 10, 2022, in which "Polonsky claims that Deripaska is a criminal and so on," he said.

"My client went to court because such statements denigrate his honor and dignity, also negatively affecting his business reputation. So we demand that not only Polonsky be ordered to refute the statements he made but also that Deripaska be compensated for the reputational damage inflicted in the amount of two billion rubles," Melnikov said.

No financial compensations have been sought from Google LLC or RTVI in the lawsuit, he said. Deripaska has asked the court to oblige them to delete false information, Melnikov said.

The court has scheduled a preliminary case hearing for April 10.