Rammstein's legal victory says Der Spiegel can't publish articles on sexual misconduct allegations

Rammstein's lead singer Till Lindemann is caught in a legal battle following allegations of sexual misconduct during their ongoing tour. However, Lindemann's legal team recently won a temporary ruling that prevents German outlet Der Spigel (referred to as 'SPIEGEL' in the statement below) from publishing articles on the allegations amid ongoing investigation.

The translated statement from Lindemann's lawyer reads:

On the cover of its edition dated June 10, 2023 (Issue No. 24/2023), SPIEGEL reported under the headline "Twilight of the Gods" about allegations made by various women. The article was also published online under the title "Sex, Power, Alcohol - What the young women from Row Zero report" in the SPIEGEL+ subscription section. 

By interim injunction of the Hamburg Regional Court dated July 14, 2023, SPIEGEL has now been prohibited from suggesting that Till Lindemann drugged or had women drugged with knockout drops/drugs/alcohol during concerts of the group "Rammstein" to enable him to perform sexual acts on the women. In the grounds of the decision, the Hamburg Regional Court states that there is a lack of the necessary minimum evidence for this serious suspicion.

Specifically, it states: "None of the statements of the witnesses, who have made their statements under oath or to the authors of the applicant (cf. affidavits of the authors of the applicant ...), give rise to the suspicion that the applicant drugged or had women drugged with knockout drops/alcohol/drugs at concerts to enable him to perform sexual acts on the women." 

The reference to the insufficient affidavits of the alleged witnesses is particularly relevant because SPIEGEL based its reporting prominently on alleged conversations with a dozen women and also on the signing of several affidavits. With the decision of the Hamburg Regional Court, the most serious allegation made in the contested SPIEGEL article has been legally prohibited.

In addition, SPIEGEL has been prohibited from making two false factual claims. The court's injunction covers 18 partially long passages of the article, which are reproduced in detail on 6 pages of the interim injunction. 

The decision of the Hamburg Regional Court is exemplary of a suspicion reporting on the "MeToo" topic that has completely gone off track in recent times. Aware that reporting on this topic ensures high sales and online views, the media increasingly ignore the guidelines established by the case law for suspicion reporting. Again and again, serious allegations are reported even though only one-sided statements are available and criminal investigations have not been initiated or are still at an early stage. This leads to massive pre-judgements and violations of the presumption of innocence as provided by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). 

To the extent that the suspicion prohibited to SPIEGEL has also been raised by other media, we will take legal action against them as well.

The singer continues to deny the allegations, while two more women have anonymously come forward with accusations against Lindemann and Rammstein keyboardist Christian "Flake" Lorenz as reported in an article here. The same outlet, Deutsche Welle, is also reporting on petitions and protests against the band at their concerts. 

Schertz Bergmann Rechtsanwälte erwirkt für Till Lindemann weitgehendes Verbot gegen den @derspiegel pic.twitter.com/pAP07Ec6aF

— Schertz Bergmann (@schertzbergmann) July 17, 2023

UPDATE: An earlier version of this article mistakenly reported the media outlet as the UK outlet The Mirror. The media outlet is being referred to is instead German outlet Der Spiegel, which translates in English to "The Mirror."