Administrative court rejects lawsuit against radio contributions - what now?

Administrative court rejects lawsuit against radio contributions - what now?

The Administrative Court of Berlin decided in a significant judgment that a model lawsuit against the payment of radio contributions does not guarantee success. In June 2024, the plaintiff submitted a 178-page lawsuit that he had acquired on the Internet for 55.08 euros. This lawsuit aimed to contest both the contribution collection and the default surcharges. Despite the extensive model application, the 8th chamber of the court rejected the lawsuit and found that the legal foundations in accordance with the Broadcasting Contract State Treaty were given for the collection of fees and the surcharges. The regulations are in accordance with the Basic Law, according to the court. According to the judgment, the plaintiff was not sufficiently demonstrated that the public service broadcasters had gross defects in the variety of programs within a significant period of time.

Important information for plaintiffs

Although the judgment was negative for the plaintiff, the appeal to the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court was approved, which enables further legal steps in this matter. In this context, it is important to mention that an interactive pattern for creating a lawsuit is available for people who want to act against broadcasting fees. According to 123recht.de , those affected can create a suitable document via a simple input mask and help, which can then be submitted to the responsible court. For a lawsuit, however, it is necessary that an objection was made beforehand and rejected by the authority. Even if the lawsuit has a prospect of success, it does not automatically free it from the obligation to pay.

In addition, it is said that a positive decision can lead to the contributions already paid to be reimbursed. The information from the interactive plaintiff gives plaintiffs in particular information on deadlines and procedures in order to be better equipped in the legal dispute.