Julie Gayet gagne son procès contre Closer

LE FIGARO: Le magazine people qui avait publié en janvier une série de photos révélant sa liaison avec François Hollande, propulsant l'actrice à la une de la presse mondiale, est condamné à payer 15.000 euros de dommages et intérêts.

Le tribunal de grande instance de Nanterre a condamné aujourd'hui le magazine hebdomadaire Closer à payer 15.000 euros de dommages et intérêts à l'actrice Julie Gayet. Elle réclamait 50.000 euros de dommages et intérêts et 4000 euros pour les faits de procédure. Le journal devra en outre publier sa condamnation en couverture. » | Par JulieVoisin | jeudi 27 mars 2014

French President Hollande Attacks Reports of Affair

Julie Gayet (left) and François Hollande

BBC: French President Francois Hollande is considering legal action against a magazine that has claimed he is having an affair with an actress.

The latest edition of the weekly tabloid Closer features revelations concerning his alleged relationship with Julie Gayet, 41, an established television and cinema actress.

Mr Hollande says his privacy had been breached.

Hugh Schofield reports from Paris. Wayche BBC video » | Friday, January 10, 2014

French Closer Editor 'Receives Death Threats Over Duchess Topless Pictures'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: French magazine Closer on Monday said its editor Laurence Pieau had received death threats for publishing pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing topless.

"We have received more than 300 insulting emails of which several contain death threats," Closer said, adding that it had notified the police.


After their debut in the French weekly, the photos of the Duchess of Cambridge have appeared in magazines in Denmark and Sweden, Ireland's Daily Star and Italy's Chi, which like Closer is owned by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Mondari media group.

The pictures were taken when the royals were vacationing in southern France at a chateau owned by Viscount Linley, the son of Princess Margaret, the deceased sister of the Queen.

After publication, Pieau defended them saying they were not in the "least shocking". » | Telegraph reporters | Monday, September 24, 2012

Photographer of Topless Duchess Pictures Was British, French Paparazzi Claim
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The photographer who took the topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge is British, French paparazzi claimed today.

French paparazzi Pascal Rostain said the snapper who staked out the Royal couple on holiday was an Englishman living in the south of France.

And the photographer was spying on their French chateau [sic] on the orders of France's Closer magazine - the first to publish 13 intimate images of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last week - he said.

Mr Rostain, in his 40s, is a close friend of former French First Lady Carla Bruni and one of France's most notorious long lens photographers.

He told France Metro newspaper in Lyon: "The irony of this whole thing is that the photographer who took these pictures is an Englishman living in the south of France. » | Telegraph reporters | Thursday, September 20, 2012

Police Raid Headquarters of French Magazine in Hunt for Photographer of Topless Duchess Pictures

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Police today raided the headquarters of French magazine Closer as they hunted down the photographer responsible for capturing the Duchess of Cambridge topless.

Officers arrived at the Closer building in Paris at 10am, with detectives confirming they were looking for information ‘which might lead to the identity’ of the paparazzi responsible.

The investigation was launched by prosecutors in the French capital on Monday, with William and Kate later winning an injunction preventing further distribution of the images.

But Christophe Bigot , a barrister who specialises in media law, immediately questioned the legality of the raid – suggesting that it had solely been authoritised because members of the Royal Family were involved.

Journalistic sources – who include photographers – are strictly protected by French law which was tightened up as recently as two years ago.

"A law of January 2, 2010 protects the confidentiality of sources, as do numerous decisions of the European Court of Human Rights," said Mr Bigot, in an interview with Le Figaro. "In the case of William and Kate, I do not see how a prosecutor could justify a search of Closer."

On Tuesday, judges ordered Closer to hand over all files containing the images to representatives of the couple within 24 hours, but there was no order to name the photographer.

Referring to today’s raid, a police source said : "The aim is to seize any information which might lead to the identity of the photographer." » | Peter Allen | Wednesday, September 19, 2012