© lff.lt
The Lithuanian Football Federation and the president of the federation, Tomas Danilevičius, have decided to file appeal complaints to the Vilnius District Court regarding the decision of the Vilnius City District Court on September 29, 2021 in a civil case where the respondent is Skirmantas Malinauskas. S. Malinauskas' response: "I understand why I am being persecuted alone."
In the appeal complaint, the Lithuanian Football Federation and its president, Tomas Danilevičius, asked the Vilnius District Court to overturn the decision of the first instance court in the case of violations of subject reputation, honor, and dignity.
"Any person in our country has the right to defend their honor, dignity, and reputation, so I have decided to challenge the decision of the first instance court and appeal to the Vilnius District Court. In my opinion, the information spread about a well-known Lithuanian journalist in the public space has no factual basis and is erroneously considered a personal opinion. The selectively chosen and prepared information of Skirmantas Malinauskas causes long-term damage to me as an individual and hinders the proper representation of the interests of Lithuanian football, which unites thousands of members of the Lithuanian football community. Therefore, I believe that the Vilnius District Court will correct the mistakes made by the first instance court and satisfy my complaint," said the president of the Lithuanian Football Federation, Tomas Danilevičius.
Evaluating the arguments of the first instance court in the case of violations of subject reputation, the Lithuanian Football Federation categorically disagrees with the impact of such information spread in the public space on the organization's reputation, employees working there, and the entire football community. The information disseminated by the respondent Skirmantas Malinauskas, which he provided through public information channels under his control, had and continues to have a very negative impact on the organization. The court improperly and incompletely analyzed and evaluated all the material of the dispute, thus making unfounded conclusions. An individual who is valued in society as a journalist, cunningly manipulating rumors and presenting them as facts, created and publicly spreads information unsupported by any facts. The Lithuanian Football Federation, utilizing the right enshrined in the legislation of the Republic of Lithuania to protect its subject reputation for every legal entity in Lithuania, has decided to appeal to a higher court.
Considering that this dispute is public, the issues examined and court decisions in this dispute will have a long-term impact on our country's information space, both the Lithuanian Football Federation and its representatives, as well as its president, Tomas Danilevičius, are ready to answer all questions related to the circumstances of this dispute.
