French court awards Julie Gayet 15,000 euros over reported Hollande affair photos

Julie Gayet at the Cannes Film Festival, 2013 Open acces/Georges Biard

The French magazine Closer was ordered to pay 15 thousand euros in damages to the actress Julie Gayet for invasion of privacy.

Closer published a series of photos about Gayet’s relationship with French President François Hollande, which led to the break up of Hollande’s partnership with Valerie Trierweiler.

The judge at the court in Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris also told the magazine to publish the details of the court ruling on the front page of its next issue

Julie Gayet was awarded considerably less than she had the 50,000 euros demanded in compensation.

Julie Gayet’s lawyer, Jean Ennochi, said at the hearing on 6th March that his client had been the subject of a “veritable hunt”

After the photos were published she was plagued by a group of photographers …it was like a they were hunting game”

In defence of the magazine Closer, lawyer Delphine Pando said the information was in the public interest. The issue of “the president’s security” was clearly addressed in the article and the magazine also cited the “duty not to hide” things from the French people.

The actress has appeared in more than 70 films and was recently nominated for a best supporting actress role in the French film industry’s César awards.