Moscow Mayor Wins Lawsuit Against Opposition Leader

Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov

MOSCOW -- Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov has won a lawsuit against Boris Nemtsov, the co-chairman of the opposition Solidarity movement, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.

Luzhkov accused Nemtsov of defamation and sought 5 million rubles ($173,500) as compensation for hurting his "honor and dignity."

Luzhkov demanded another 5 million rubles from the daily "Kommersant," which printed an article by Nemtsov called "Luzhkov: A Resume" earlier this year in which Luzhkov claimed he was repeatedly defamed.

Moscow's Zamoskvoretsk district court ordered Nemtsov to pay the equivalent of $17,500 to Luzhkov in compensation. "Kommersant" was ordered to pay the same amount.

Nemtsov's lawyer told journalists his client will appeal the court's decision.