Tilly family withdraws lawsuit against Carinthian Greens

The Tilly family has withdrawn its lawsuit against the Carinthian Greens over the Walterskirchen nature reserve, ORF reported. The Greens had launched a municipal referendum opposing the construction of a villa in the protected area and were sued by the family.

Klagenfurt Regional Court has ended the proceedings, according to the Greens. The Tilly family must pay about 8,500 euros in legal costs. The Greens had prevailed at both the Higher Regional Court in Graz and the Supreme Court. The Graz court fully overturned an injunction against the Greens, and the Supreme Court later rejected the family’s extraordinary appeal.

Green Party state spokesperson Olga Voglauer called the outcome a major success for the party, political freedom of expression and those advocating transparency and nature protection. She said open and even strongly worded political debate must be possible on matters of significant public interest.

The dispute began after the Greens launched a municipal referendum to involve residents in the Walterskirchen case, which has been contested for more than 20 years. The central question is whether a villa, built on the site of a demolished farmstead in the middle of the nature reserve, can receive retrospective approval. The withdrawal of the lawsuit does not resolve that issue, which remains open.