13 Feb 2014 15:26
GRUPO CLARIN S.A.
Supreme Court Renders Decision Relating to Official Publicity in Company Media
On 12 February 2014, Grupo Clarín S.A. (the "Company") informed the Argentine Securities Commission and the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange that its subsidiary Arte Radiotelevisivo Argentino S.A. had been served notice of a decision rendered by the Argentine National Supreme Court of Justice in re "Arte Radiotelevisivo Argentino S.A. v. National State - JGM - SMC re summary action for the protection of constitutional rights (amparo), Law No. 16,986".
Attached as Schedule A is a free translation of the relevant sections of the Supreme Court's decision.
Enquiries:
In Buenos Aires:
Alfredo Marín/Agustín Medina Manson
Grupo Clarín
Tel: +5411 4309 7215
Email: investors@grupoclarin.com
In London:
Alex Money/Clare Gallagher
Jasford IR
Tel: +44 20 3289 5300
Email: alexm@jasford.com
In New York:
Melanie Carpenter
I-advize Corporate Communications
Tel: +1 212 406 3692
Email: clarin@i-advize.com
SCHEDULE A
FREE TRANSLATION
A. 925. XLIX
Arte Radiotelevisivo Argentino S.A. v. National State - JGM - SMC re summary action for the protection of constitutional rights (amparo), Law No. 16,986
National Supreme Court of Justice
Buenos Aires, Eleven February 2014
Having reviewed the case "Arte Radiotelevisivo Argentino S.A. v. National State - JGM - SMC re summary action for the protection of constitutional rights (amparo), Law No. 16,986"
Whereas:
1º) Arte Radiotelevisivo Argentino S.A. (ARTEAR S.A.) brought a summary action for the protection of constitutional rights (acción de amparo) against the National State (Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers and Secretariat of Public Communication) and against Messrs. Juan Abal Medina and Alfredo Scoccimarro, in order to [request that the National State] cease in the arbitrary and discriminatory allocation of the official publicity with respect to claimant. [ARTEAR S.A.] requested that [the court] order the maintenance of the balanced allocation with respect to the amount of publicity received in previous years, and in particular prior to 2008, and to [the amount of publicity] allocated to other broadcasters of similar characteristics.
[ARTEAR S.A.] also requested that the conduct of the above-mentioned officials be declared illegitimate, on account of their having exercised their discretional power to manage public funds destined to official publicity abusively, discriminating against Canal 13.
2º) Chamber IV of the National Court of Appeals on Federal Administrative Matters, upon revoking the decision rendered in the first instance, admitted the summary action (acción de amparo) and ordered the National State to provide for the drafting and submission […] to the first instance court, within a term of thirty (30) days of that decision becoming final, of a scheme for the allocation of official publicity that included the broadcasters with characteristics analogous to those of the claimant, among which [the Court of Appeals] included, América TV S.A. (canal 2), Telearte S.A. (canal 9), Televisión Federal S.A. (canal 11), Arte Radiotelevisivo Argentino S.A. (canal 13) and SNMP S.E. and RTA S.E. (canal 7), "that conforms faithfully to the guidelines of proportionality and equity set forth above" (see p. 736 and 736, reverse).
[Recitals 3 through 13 intentionally omitted]
Therefore, [we hereby] declare that the extraordinary appeal is admissible, and confirm the decision [of the Court of Appeals]. Costs [to be borne by defendant]. Let this decision be notified and duly sent [to the lower court].
/s/ Ricardo Luis Lorenzetti
/s/ Carlos S. Fayt
/s/ Elena I. Highton de Nolasco (according to my vote)
/s/ Juan Carlos Maqueda
/s/ Enrique S. Petracchi (dissenting)
/s/ E. Raúl Zaffaroni (dissenting)
/s/ Carmen M. Argibay (dissenting)