In the endless dispute with Maike Kohl-Richter, the author Heribert Schwan suffered another defeat. The Cologne Higher Regional Court (OLG) largely agreed with the widow of former Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Schwan then pledged secrecy to Kohl – something he always denied – with the result that when writing Kohl’s memoirs he was only allowed to use statements that the ex-Chancellor had approved. Schwan and Kohl had not concluded a written contract about this. However, the Higher Regional Court came to the conclusion that it was a “tacitly established contract-like legal relationship”. Afterwards, Schwan is subject to a “comprehensive obligation of confidentiality”. The Federal Court of Justice saw this too and decided in 2021 that the obligation of confidentiality applies beyond the death of Helmut Kohl.
Legal dispute over Helmut Kohl’s intellectual legacy: Swan must remain silent – media
