Schlesinger is entitled to receive a pension from RBB.
In a recent turn of events, the Berlin Regional Court has made a ruling in the ongoing legal dispute between Patricia Schlesinger, former director of RBB, and the ARD broadcaster. On July 16, 2025, the court granted Schlesinger a monthly pension of approximately €18,400 for January 2023. However, this decision is part of a broader and more complex legal battle, as Schlesinger seeks to claim her full pension allowance.
The court hearing, which took place regarding Schlesinger's legal dispute with RBB over a pension allowance, has been a significant development in the ongoing saga. The ruling, while favouring Schlesinger in part, is not final, and an appeal to the Higher Regional Court is possible.
The evaluation of the claim is still ongoing, according to the authority's spokesperson. Schlesinger has always denied the allegations, and the presumption of innocence applies. The scandal surrounding the former director had shaken public broadcasting strongly in the summer of 2022, with allegations of waste and nepotism emerging.
These allegations involved luxury cars with massage seats, lavish equipment in the director's office, dining at Schlesinger's home at the broadcaster's expense, business trips, allowances for executives, and a now-scrapped million-euro building project for the editorial department.
In a separate legal dispute, RBB raised claims against Schlesinger regarding the planning of a 'Digital Media House' project. This dispute has been separated and will be tried separately. The amount of the claim in the two separated breaches of duty will be determined in a later decision.
Schlesinger was ordered to pay RBB around 24,000 euros for breaches of duty. Conversely, RBB was ordered to pay approximately 24,000 euros to Schlesinger for breaches of duty related to the use of company cars and travel expenses.
The court defined pension allowance in this case as receiving a certain monthly sum of money after the end of the contract, even before retirement, and then for life. Upon reaching retirement age, there may be adjustments with any subsequent company pension.
Despite the recent ruling, a comprehensive settlement between Schlesinger and RBB has yet to materialise, suggesting that the parties are still engaged in legal proceedings to resolve the remaining issues. The current status of the legal dispute indicates that the case continues to unfold with potential for further court decisions or negotiations.
Independent of this civil trial at Berlin Regional Court, the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office has been investigating the RBB scandal for some time, including against the former director. The exact outcome of these investigations remains to be seen, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing legal battle.
[1] Source: RBB Spokesperson [2] Source: Berlin Regional Court Spokesperson [3] Source: Schlesinger's Legal Representative [4] Source: Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office
The ruling made by the Berlin Regional Court in the dispute between Patricia Schlesinger and RBB is part of a broader legal battle, entwining the fields of finance, business, and politics, as Schlesinger seeks her full pension allowance.The ongoing investigation by the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office against Schlesinger, related to the RBB scandal, adds another layer of complexity to this multifaceted legal saga, involving general-news topics such as waste, nepotism, and breaches of duty.
