Christian Sønstebø and Carine Smeby Schackt must cover 300,000 kroner of TV 2's legal costs after a lawsuit over the documentary “Kollaps - profeten i Bærum,” Hordaland tingrett ruled Tuesday, NRK reported. The couple withdrew the lawsuit the day after filing it, according to Bergens Tidende.
In its ruling, the court said: “After an overall assessment, the court finds that there are no weighty reasons making it reasonable to exempt the plaintiffs from liability for costs. The court pointed to the agreement between Sønstebø and production company Maverix, which gave the company “full editorial freedom to decide what is filmed, how it is presented and what is published.”
Sønstebø and Schackt spent around 175,000 kroner on a lawyer in connection with the lawsuit, bringing their total outlay to nearly half a million kroner. TV 2 reported that it had not yet received comment from the couple's lawyer.
The documentary focuses on Sønstebø and the environment around him at Nordhaug gård, according to NRK. The couple maintains their criticism of TV 2 and say essential contexts were omitted and several factual matters were presented incorrectly. The series has created strong reactions.