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Max Mosley's privacy case rejected by European Court of Human Rights

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It appears as if Max Mosley has gotten whipped once again. But this time, it wasn't in an alleged S&M dungeon with a gaggle of hookers dressed up as Nazi officers, it was in no less distinguished a forum than the European Court of Human Rights.

The former FIA president, as you may recall, was outed by the British tabloid News of the World back in 2008 for his sordid sex life. Rather than recoil as most might – particularly in light of longstanding accusations of Mosley and his family's fascist sympathies and historical ties to high-ranking Nazi officials – Mosley went on the offensive. He made his case into a privacy issue and sued the newspaper, sued its publisher, and he sued a German newspaper that ran the story as well.

Once the dust settled from those lawsuits – including the nearly $100,000 (plus legal expenses) in punitive damages awarded him in court – Mosley took his case to the European Court of Human Rights. In a landmark decision being hailed by some as a victory for free speech, Mosley's case was dismissed by the courts yesterday.

The decision ostensibly upholds the rights of the British fourth estate (that is, the media) to publish the news as it sees fit without the requirement which Mosley was seeking to notify the subject of reports before they're published. Mosley may, however, appeal the decision, though to what higher judicial body remains unclear.

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