Case C-633/22, Real Madrid Club de Fútbol: Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 4 October 2024 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Cour de cassation – France) – Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, AE v EE, Société Éditrice du Monde SA (Reference for a preliminary ruling – Area of freedom, security and justice – Judicial cooperation in civil matters – Jurisdiction and the enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters – Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 – Articles 34 and 45 – Recognition and enforcement of judgments – Revocation of a declaration of enforceability of judgments – Grounds for refusal – Public policy in the State in which recognition is sought – Penalty imposed on a newspaper and one of its journalists for harm caused to the reputation of a sports club – Damages – Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Freedom of the press)
Date: 2024-10-04
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: communications profession, damages, enforcement of ruling, freedom of the press, judicial cooperation in civil matters in the EU, newspaper, public policy, sports body








C_202500687EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/687


10.2.2025






Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 4 October 2024 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Cour de cassation – France) – Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, AE v EE, Société Éditrice du Monde SA


(Case C-633/22,
                (1)
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Area of freedom, security and justice - Judicial cooperation in civil matters - Jurisdiction and the enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters - Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 - Articles 34 and 45 - Recognition and enforcement of judgments - Revocation of a declaration of enforceability of judgments - Grounds for refusal - Public policy in the State in which recognition is sought - Penalty imposed on a newspaper and one of its journalists for harm caused to the reputation of a sports club - Damages - Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union - Freedom of the press)
(C/2025/687)
Language of the case: French

Referring court

Cour de cassation

Parties to the main proceedings


Appellants: Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, AE

Respondents: EE, Société Éditrice du Monde SA

Operative part of the judgment

Article 34(1) and Article 45 of Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 of 22 December 2000 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters, read in conjunction with Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,
must be interpreted as meaning that the enforcement of a judgment ordering a newspaper publishing house and one of its journalists to pay damages by way of compensation for the non-material damage suffered by a sports club and one of the members of its medical team due to harm caused to their reputation by the publication of information about them must be refused where it would give rise to a manifest breach of the freedom of the press, as enshrined in Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and thus an infringement of public policy in the Member State in which enforcement is sought.


(1)  
            OJ C 24, 23.1.2023.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/687/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)