A French court ordered Closer magazine yesterday to pay actor Julie Gayet €15,000 for publishing photos that revealed an affair between her and President François Hollande, her lawyer said.
The seven-page photo spread published on January 10th showed the comings and goings outside a Parisian apartment rented by Gayet. It included the night-time arrival and morning departure of Gayet and, separately, that of man wearing a black helmet and said to be Hollande.
Neither party has denied the affair, but Gayet filed a lawsuit alleging breach of privacy. Hollande chose not to sue. Gayet's lawyer Jean Ennochi, who had been asking for €50,000, said his client's life had been "turned upside down" by the publication.
The disclosure by the magazine was followed by Hollande's breakup with his partner, Valerie Trierweiler.
The scandal was an unwelcome distraction for Hollande, whose popularity ratings are at record lows, as he tries to stem rising unemployment and spur growth in the euro zone's second-largest economy.
– (Reuters)