On February 4 court of general jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan started hearing the suit of “Arrhythmic-Cardiological Center of Armenia” LLC (ACCA) versus online news agency News.am. The reason for the suit became the piece “The Patient with a Diseased Heart Was “Puffed” at the Arrhythmic-Cardiological Center and Has Been Implanted with Another Device”, stored on News.am, November 23, 2010. The article states the story of a reader H.K., who alleged that he had been cheated at the medical center; the doctors had implanted an electric cardiostimulator, cheaper and with a shorter warranty period than the one he had been promised before the surgery. The plaintiff demanded to refute the information that discredits his honor, dignity and business reputation, as well as to compensate the moral loss in the amount of 2 million AMD (about $ 5,500).
At the session of February 4 the court noted that the defendant in the case must not be News.am, but its founder, “Media Consult” LLC, which is a legal entity. Therefore, the plaintiff was provided with some time to rectify the suit.
The same court has submitted to consideration two other suits from the ACCA versus “Aravot” daily founder, “Aravot Oratert” LLC. YPC was informed about this at the editorial office of the daily.
One of the suits regards the same story of citizen H.K., published in “Aravot” on November 13, 2010 and titled “Paying for 10 Years of Life, Got – Seven”. The plaintiff presented the same claims to “Aravot” founder: to issue a refutation, to compensate the moral loss of 2 million AMD and court expenses of 300,000 AMD.
The second suit of ACCA versus “Aravot” founder is grounded by a letter of a reader from Kapan, K.A., published by the daily on December 1, 2010 and titled “And What About the Hippocratic Oath?”. In the letter K.A. complains about one of the ACCA doctors. Again, in this case the ACCA demanded to refute the information, pay off a moral loss of 2 million AMD, as well as the court costs of 300,000 AMD.
