There is movement in the dispute over the compensation for sexual abuse demanded by former water jumper Jan Hempel.
As Hempel’s lawyer Thomas Summerer informed the German Press Agency, an arbitration procedure will take place from August 1st, in which the head of the German Swimming Association has also promised its participation through its Vice Presidents Wolfgang Rupieper and Kai Morgenroth. Rupieper confirmed this to the dpa.
The arbitration was initiated by the DSV and is endorsed by the independent review commission it has set up. It aims to avoid the announced claim for damages against the association.
Fall Menne could serve as a guide
According to Summerer, the judgment of the district court of Cologne in the case of Georg Menne against the Archdiocese of Cologne could serve as an orientation for an amicable solution. There, the victim was awarded six-figure compensation. Menne had been sexually abused by a priest for many years in the 1970s as an altar boy. It remains to be seen what can be derived from this for the current case.
Hempel’s case triggered a broad discussion about abuse and violence in German sport and how to deal with it. In a documentary by ARD entitled “Abused – Sexualized Violence in German Swimming”, Hempel made the allegations of sexual abuse against his long-time coach Werner Langer, who died in 2001, public for the first time last August. Accordingly, Langer had passed from 1982 to 1996 at the Olympic silver medalist in Atlanta in 1996. In the film, Hempel accused the DSV of knowing about the allegations in 1997 but not having done anything decisive.
In March, Summerer announced that Hempel wanted to sue the association for seven-figure damages and damages. If an agreement is reached in the arbitration procedure, there would be no lawsuit.
