In Semey, a court has ruled that statements damaging the honor and professional reputation of a primary school teacher were false, reports infohub.kz.
According to the official Telegram channel of the Abai region courts, the inter-district civil court of Semey heard a lawsuit filed by a primary school teacher seeking protection of honor, dignity, and professional reputation, as well as compensation for moral damages.
The lawsuit stemmed from information spread via a voice message sent to the school principal and later during a meeting attended by the school staff. The defendant claimed that the teacher allegedly constantly abused alcohol, came to work smelling of alcohol, and "goes on drinking binges after lunch."
The plaintiff asked the court to recognize the disseminated information as false, order the defendant to retract it, issue an apology, and pay compensation for moral damages.
Based on the case materials, the court found that the defendant had not provided evidence to support the truthfulness of the disseminated information. Citing an expert psychological and philological examination, the court determined that the conditions for protecting honor, dignity, and professional reputation had been met: the information was shared with third parties, was defamatory, and did not correspond to reality.
The court ordered the defendant to retract the false statements by issuing an apology in the presence of the school principal and the deputy principal for educational affairs. Considering the nature of the defendant's actions, the duration of the conflict between the parties, and the principles of reasonableness and fairness, the court partially granted compensation for moral damages and also awarded legal costs.
The court decision has not yet entered into legal force.