Sex scandal F1 chief sues German paper

BERLIN, Germany (AP) -- FIA president Max Mosley has filed a lawsuit against the publisher of Germany's largest newspaper that is similar to the case he won over an English tabloid this week, contending that his sex acts with several prostitutes did not have a Nazi theme.

According to the lawsuit, Mosley is demanding €1 million ($1.57 million) from Bild newspaper and €500,000 ($783,850) from its online edition in damages for their text, photo and video reports on Mosley's sadomasochistic encounter in March.

Mosley is president of the FIA, the motorsport world governing body. He is the son of the late Oswald Mosley, Britain's best-known fascist politician in the 1930s, who had Adolf Hitler as a guest at his wedding.

Mosley won a privacy-invasion lawsuit Thursday over the News of the World claim that his sex games had a Nazi connotation, and High Court judge David Eady ruled that the tabloid must pay Mosley £60,000 ($120,000) in damages plus legal costs for the story.

Mosley's legal costs are estimated at about £450,000 ($900,000). The newspaper must also pay its own legal costs of about £400,000 ($800,000).

Mosley is also suing the tabloid for defamation and violation of privacy in France (international editions of the newspaper are sold there), but the case is yet to be heard.

The 68-year-old Mosley admits the encounter with sex workers, but says it was private and there were no Nazi overtones.

The prosecutor's office in Berlin opened an investigation based on Mosley's lawsuit, spokeswoman Simone Herbeth said Friday.

The lawsuit is over breach of trust, violations of copyright laws and fraud, claiming Axel Springer AG, publisher of Bild, had spent money for "illegal purposes" by paying for the video and photos of the orgy.

Meanwhile the dominatrix who filmed Mosley in a sex orgy says she regrets her actions.

The woman said her husband had quit his job with MI5 to save the secret service any embarrassment after the scandal erupted.

She said Friday she wanted to apologize to Mosley and that she didn't think about what she was doing.

The Dominatrix known as Woman E in court told Sky News she was "stupid, naive" to have spoken to the newspaper about the orgy. She says the sex play had a German prison theme but did not have Nazi overtones.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

All About Max Mosley • Formula One Racing