The lawsuit surrounding the former Corona hotspot Ischgl enters the next round: In the case, the Finanzprokuratur has appealed against the decision of the Vienna Higher Regional Court (OLG Wien) to quash and renegotiate the first judgments that rejected the complaint . In it, the Finanzprokuratur states that errors by the Tyrolean authorities cannot be attributed to the Republic of Austria, but that the State of Tyrol is solely responsible for them. Therefore, the lawsuits against the federal government must be dismissed.
The Consumer Protection Association (VSV) announced this on Friday. Due to the new defense strategy of the Finanzprokuratur, who is the prosecutor, the SAAM felt compelled to also sue the state of Tyrol out of procedural prudence, SAAM chairman Peter Kolba said at a press conference before the start of the first hearing after the dissolution of the dismissal of the first judgment at the Vienna Regional Civil Court.
The VSV sees the question differently than the Finanzprokuratur. “We and our experts don’t see it that way, and neither does the Higher Regional Court of Vienna. The Tyrolean authorities acted as part of the indirect federal administration, so the federal government is liable for their mistakes,” says Kolba.
VSV proposes Platter to waive prescription
“However, to avoid pointless spending on both sides,” he proposed Friday to Governor Günther Platter (ÖVP) in the event that the state of Tyrol waives the statute of limitations until the Supreme Court (OGH) settles the controversial legal issue with a lawsuit against the Tirol is able to wait for the time being for the injured parties represented by the VSV. In the event that the Land of Tyrol waives the limitation period, one could safely wait for a court decision on federal liability to become final. If it is then clear that the federal government is liable, a lawsuit against Tyrol is finally unnecessary.
No declaration from the state of Tyrol
The state of Tyrol declined to comment further on the APA request. “We ask for your understanding that the state of Tyrol generally does not comment on pending proceedings,” it said.
As a serious mistake in the Ischgl case, Kolba sees, among other things, “demonstrably incorrect media information from the Land of Tyrol of March 5, 2020, which alleged against his better judgment” that in Ischgl infected tourists only got the corona virus on the journey home. . The press release served to calm the people and was intended to prevent reporting. “And it worked. It was not reported,” Kolba said.
Prominent hotelier targeted by VSV
Lawyer Alexander Klauser announced that the VSV would also file a lawsuit against a prominent hotelier from Ischgl for the first time. The plaintiff was a guest at the hotel and before arriving in 2020 she explicitly asked the hotel if everything was okay and the hotel “declared against their better judgement that there were no problems with Covid-19 in Ischgl”. The request was made on March 8, five days after it was already known that Icelanders in Ischgl had contracted Corona.
Other group and individual actions
In the case, the SAAM also brings further individual lawsuits for people with legal expenses insurance and a collective lawsuit for those who do not have legal expenses insurance. This is supported by a lawsuit financier, so that the injured party does not run any cost risk, Kolber reports.
Kolba’s successor, Daniela Holzinger-Vogtenhuber, asked the Republic to hold a round table meeting to negotiate the progress of the progress. The sum of the claims will probably not exceed ten million euros. “Tourism in Ischgl achieves this amount in a winter sports week,” says Holzinger-Vogtenhuber.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
