Michael Schumacher’s long-term lawyer, Felix Damm, has revealed why his client’s medical condition has never been confirmed. The legendary F1 driver suffered a skiing accident almost ten years ago, and remains unable to walk or communicate after emerging from a coma in 2014.
Damm has now revealed that the intention behind not releasing a final statement was to protect the privacy of the former driver and his family. They considered releasing a formal update but understood that any such statement would result in constant requests for updates on the veteran. As a result, they decided against it and have not cleared up the ambiguity that still persists.
Michael Schumacher’s lawyer, Felix Damm reveals why no medical report was released
“I still have in my mind the image of the many journalists and photographers who, for days after the accident, waited for information outside the hospital in Grenoble,” he told the German publication LTO.
“To relieve the pressure, the first general information about the injuries was given at press conferences at which the treating doctors were also present.
“In reality, the content was classified as private. That was really new. Until then, information about private matters had been absolutely taboo.”
“Of course, we discussed a lot about how to make it possible, so we also considered whether a final report on Michael’s health might be the right way to do it.
“But that would not have been the end and there would have had to be constantly updated reports.
“The media, again and again, would ask ‘And how is he now?’, one, two, three months or years after the message.
“And if we then wanted to take action against this information, we would have to deal with the argument of the voluntary disclosure we would have made.”
Felix Damm also criticised a publication for releasing a fake interview scripted by AI involving Schumacher. The publishing company ended up paying around €100,000 in damages, since there hasn’t been any final report surrounding his health condition. He reinforced that Michael Schumacher remains in his home where he is cared for by his family.
