Louise Bernard, with Alexis Patri
After having long formed a powerful duo on French television, producer Catherine Barma and host Laurent Ruquier have been torn apart since the end of the program “On n’est pas couche” in the summer of 2020. “Télérama” reveals that the presenter has just lost his trial at first instance against his former collaborator.
We have everything tried, We haven’t said everything, We only ask to laugh, We are not in bed… From 2000 to 2020, the collaboration between producer Catherine Barma and animator Laurent Ruquier made the golden hours of television. But the powerful professional duo of France 2 have been torn apart since the sudden end of the show We are not in bed beginning of July 2020. The rupture, which has become a legal battle, is experiencing a new episode: Laurent Ruquier loses his trial at first instance against Catherine Barma for payment for the last issues of their joint program, as revealed by our colleagues from the newspaper Telerama.
Nearly one million euros in damages
Catherine Barma also sued her former collaborator for “brutal rupture of an established commercial relationship”, after Laurent Ruquier decided to change production to launch his new show We are live.
According Telerama, the Paris Commercial Court ordered Laurent Ruquier’s companies to pay nearly one million euros in damages to Catherine Barma’s company. A sum which must “compensate the brutality” of the rupture of their commercial relations and the economic layoffs”, according to Telerama. Laurent Ruquier appealed this court decision.