The dismissal of Julien Lepers, ousted in 2016 from the show "Questions for a champion" that he presented for 27 years, was not abusive, confirmed this Wednesday, May 17, the Court of Appeal of Paris in a decision that AFP was able to consult, revealed by the Informed.
To discover
- Survey - Who is your favorite columnist in "TPMP"?
The former star host of France 3, who claimed 3.4 million euros from the producer of the show, FremantleMedia, was rejected almost all of his requests. He must thus be satisfied with the approximately 800,000 euros in compensation that had been granted to him at first instance in 2020 by the Labour Court and were provided for in his employment contract.
Replaced by Samuel Etienne
On the other hand, the damages claimed for "discrimination" on grounds of age, "damage to image" or "rupture in brutal and vexatious conditions" were all rejected. Julien Lepers was forced to stop presenting the flagship program of France 3 in January 2016, the channel having decided to replace him with the journalist Samuel Etienne. In the aftermath, the presenter had decided to seize the prud'hommes, believing to have been dismissed because of his age (66 years old at the time) rather than because of the erosion of audiences invoked by Fremantle. In question, statements of the president of France Televisions, Delphine Ernotte, pronounced on Europe 1 shortly after taking office in 2015: "We have a television of white men over 50 years, and that, it will have to change".
But "the content" of his remarks "does not in itself establish the material existence of facts that could lead to a presumption of discrimination on the part" of FremantleMedia, rules the Court of Appeal. It also confirms that "the dismissal of Mr Ronan Lepers, known as Julien Lepers, was based on a real and serious cause". The Court thus refers to two reports showing, in its view, that "the hearing of the programme had seriously changed in the year preceding the termination of the employment contract and that the disaffection of viewers had no connection with the very formula of the programme".
These reports also "highlight the weariness, even exasperation of the regulars of the show because of the personality of the host, who has not been renewed, despite the alerts, and has not changed his attitude especially towards the candidates," according to the decision. Contacted by AFP, neither Julien Lepers nor Fremantle wished to comment.
SEE ALSO - Julien Lepers: "At France Télévisions, there is a management problem"
