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Unhappy about biography, Lithuanian basketball stars shake off public figure status

The Lithuanian basketball twin-brother stars Darjusas and Ksystofas Lavrinoviciai have been featured in hundreds of articles in glossy glamour magazines and monochrome regional newspapers alike.

At the peak of fame, the 32-year-old athletes are marveled for their down-to-earth and humble attitude, as well as their exceptional sense of humour.

Their road to professional success has been rather smooth, troubled only by a few minor physical injuries. However, the rape of an underage girl back in 1998 – for which Ksystofas and Darjusas served sentences of three and five years imprisonment respectively – continues to haunt their celebrity life.

While journalists are still eagerly rummaging through the criminal case, neither Ksystofas, who married a former Miss Russia in 1996, nor his twin brother, who is married to a Lithuanian beauty, dodge questions on Natalija, the rape victim.

A controversial new biography

The twins’ patience burst out last year, when a little known Lithuanian journalist published an unimpressive 96-page booklet with the eye-catchy title The Lavrinoviciai brothers. To the peak of glory after the fall.

The millionaire basketball stars quickly snapped, suing the author, Sergejus Tichomirovas, and JSC Ekspress Leidyba, the printing house, for breach of law, including violation of right to private life, unlawful use of photos, and use of their photos and brand image for advertising purposes.

The book at the origin of the trial case: The Lavrinoviciai brothers. To the peak of glory after the fall, Sergejus Tichomirovas

The Lavrinoviciai brothers are demanding a hefty compensation for the law infringements.

With one plaintiff dribbling on Turkish basketball courts and the other jostling in Italian basketball A league courts, making them unable to attend Vilnius District Court hearings over their case, their legal team is grappling with the publishing house and the author’s lawyer, trying to prove that the athletes’ interests have been severely damaged.

The defense argues that the basketball stars’ parents willingly told the journalist about their sons, and that part of the information used in the book is a mere summary of already published articles about the famous brothers and their families.

Media interest

The court battles essentially boil down to one single question – are the Lavrinoviciai twins public or private figures?

For this reason, the case has drawn much interest among Lithuanian journalists.

“When journalists interview famous athletes and take their pictures, they never ask for their permission to publish the interviews or pictures, because both sides agree that the public has the right to know about their heroes. In this case however, when a journalist published a book on the Lavrinoviciai brothers, which is basically a collection of old articles, the stars get pissed off and sue the author, claiming that their right to private life has been violated. That is weird to say at least,” criticises Rasa Gadvilaite, a regional newspaper journalist and a keen basketball fan.

The list of plaintiffs consists not only of the Lavrinoviciai brothers, but also their wives and young children, as well as their parents.

The book includes commentaries on the basketball players made by their coaches, friends and acquaintances.

Lavrinoviciai twin-brother basketball stars

The most vivid emphasis of the book lies however in the contrast made between the life of the basketball stars’ pampered wives, Tatjana and Edita, and that of Natalija, the rape victim.

“The wives of the two brothers enjoy a life of lavish luxury – they suntan in the most exclusive Spanish resorts, relish the best foods in the most expensive restaurants of the world and pay thousands of Litas for their beauty treatments, while the rape victim is struggling in poverty,” writes Tichomirovas.

Natalija has gone public about her life. After the crime, she hinted that she would forgive the brothers if either of them would marry her after serving their sentences

When the rapists were released before the court-set time, and embarked on their quick journey to fame, they omitted to extend their apologies to the rape victim.

But now the celebrity brothers are demanding more than apologies from Tichomirovas – over EUR 30,000 for damages caused to their private life.

Lithuanian journalists are looking forward to hearing a verdict in the case with increasing interest.

“The verdict will possibly reset the boundaries of the definition of a public figure. According to Lithuanian law, the Civil Codex and the Public Information Act, only public office holders can be regarded as public figures. In reality, however, the boundaries of the status sometimes go beyond the strict definition,” says Dainius Radzevicius, chairman of the Lithuanian Union of Journalists.

Kristina Cerednicenkaite, the lawyer representing the Lavrinoviciai brothers, is seemingly sticking to a narrow definition of a public figure.

“The main characteristic of a public figure is that he or she due his or her behaviour or capacity can influence other people as well as public’s life. That is not the case with the Lavrinoviciai brothers,” says Cerednicenkaite.

The defense lawyer, Gediminas Pranevicius, argues that the definition should not be perceived so narrowly, claiming that the status should not necessarily apply only to public office holders.

“Obviously, there can be public figures in sports as well. Especially, when athletes, such as the Lavrinoviciai twins, participate in various activities to raise public funds. We regard them as public figures,” Pranevicius says.

Pranevicius encouraged the judge presiding over the case, Ruta Burduliene, to appeal to the Lithuanian Constitutional Court to define the meaning of a public figure. Burduliene, however, refused to do so, arguing that there was no need to trouble the Court.

“Every court can decide on its own who is a public figure, and who is not,” the judge said.

Journalism ethics

The court case has raised some issues of journalism ethics as well.

The basketball players’ parents are claiming that they had not been warned that their interview would be recorded. They only found out about it after the book was published. They also insist they had not been informed the journalist intended to write a book about their sons. In addition, the parents claim they had not allowed the journalist to take any photo of them, which he did anyway.

“I am not aware of the details of this particular interview with the Lavrinoviciai brothers’ parents. However, judging from what has leaked, I would reckon the journalist probably should have been clearer about his intentions,” LUJ chairman Radzevicius says.

Radzevicius is convinced that the Vilnius District Court must stick with the “traditional” definition of a public figure in its proceedings.

“Otherwise, the revised definition would possibly trigger a lot more of this kind of lawsuits,” Radzevicius cautions.

The defense lawyer even ordered a research from a Media Monitoring and Research Company on the interview topics accepted by the celebrity brothers.

“The results analysis shows that the players enjoy publicity and give lengthy interviews to anyone. How can they claim they are private figures and that their right to privacy has been undermined?” wonders Pranevicius.

With the court hearings put off till the new year,  the Lavrinoviciai brothers have already claimed a small legal victory – the Vilnius District Court ordered the book to be taken off the shelves until the verdict is announced in the course of 2012.

Will the removal of the book help the brothers to polish up their tarnished image?

 

Tags: biography, book, court case, ethics, journalism, lavrinoviciai brothers, lithuania, media, private figure, public figure, sergejus tichomirovas,

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