A judge at Retten på Frederiksberg announced Tuesday that the verdict in Morten Messerschmidt’s defamation case against Martin Lidegaard will be delivered on October 16, 2026. The two party leaders faced each other in court earlier the same day.
The case pits Dansk Folkeparti chairman Morten Messerschmidt against Martin Lidegaard, political leader of Radikale Venstre. DR reports that the presiding judge set the date after the hearing concluded on Tuesday. The ruling is scheduled for Friday, October 16, at 12:45 p.m.
It had been announced in advance that a decision could take up to eight weeks. BT adds that the court will announce the outcome without holding another hearing. That timetable matches the October date given by the court.
Messerschmidt brought the case over statements Lidegaard made during a political debate at Demokratidagen in Randers on November 10, 2025. According to DR, Lidegaard said Dansk Folkeparti wanted to intern and deport thousands of fellow citizens because of their faith or skin color. Messerschmidt considers the remarks defamatory.
The comments followed an article and a podcast at Weekendavisen, in which Messerschmidt discussed expelling criminal foreigners and foreigners unable to support themselves. As reported by BT, that interview was the immediate backdrop to Lidegaard’s statements in Randers. Messerschmidt also gave Lidegaard 24 hours to retract the remarks, according to BT’s live coverage.
At the center of the dispute is the concept of remigration, a policy under which immigrants or their descendants are encouraged or pressured to return to their countries of origin. Messerschmidt embraced the idea in the Weekendavisen interview. Lidegaard has said the proposal goes too far.
Lidegaard has since acknowledged to Ritzau that Messerschmidt did not use the word “skin color” and that his own formulation was sharply drawn. He maintains that the policy would affect people who are not ethnically Danish. Messerschmidt disputes that characterization of his position.
How other outlets have framed the case
Politiken described the proceedings as an unusually high-profile dispute over what politicians may say about one another in public debate. The newspaper reported that the case raises questions about the freedom of speech politicians enjoy. The proceedings are being heard by the Frederiksberg district court.
Berlingske framed Tuesday’s hearing as a notable political defamation case, noting that a defeat would carry political costs for either man. Ahead of the hearing, some commentators questioned the strength of the claim, as covered in a law expert’s assessment that Messerschmidt’s lawsuit is doomed.
The hearing date had been fixed months in advance. Altinget reported in February 2026, citing Politiken, that the two leaders were due in court in Frederiksberg on August 18.
