Lithuanian court postpones defamation hearing between Malinauskas and Šimaitis

A Lithuanian court has postponed a civil hearing in a defamation case brought by blogger Skirmantas Malinauskas against public figure Raimondas Šimaitis, LRT reports.

The Vilnius City District Court was scheduled to begin examining the case on Monday, but the session was delayed after Šimaitis was involved in a traffic accident. Court spokesperson Giedrius Janonis confirmed that the hearing was first pushed back by several hours before being fully postponed when it became clear Šimaitis could not attend.

Malinauskas filed the lawsuit against Šimaitis, alleging that false and defamatory statements were made about him and his family. The blogger is seeking recognition that the claims—including accusations that his father was a KGB agent and fabricated stories about his childhood—are untrue and damaging to his reputation. He is also pursuing compensation for non-material damages.

In a November Facebook post, Malinauskas stated that both his parents and children had faced harassment due to Šimaitis’ allegations, which were later removed after prosecutors launched a pre-trial investigation. Despite the removal, Malinauskas claims the false information continues to circulate online, fueling further attacks against his family.

The court has rescheduled the hearing for June 1.