Overview
- Oslo District Court on Nov. 14 rejected Marius Borg Høiby’s bid to stop distribution of the reportage book, keeping it on sale in Norway.
- The court ordered Høiby to cover substantial legal costs, including about 460,000 NOK to publisher Aschehoug and 70,000 NOK to the Norwegian Publishers Association.
- Judges said the book serves a legitimate public interest but noted that the claim he was seen selling cocaine lacked sufficient factual basis and was highly insulting.
- Aschehoug acknowledged errors in the book and said they have been corrected in newer editions.
- Høiby’s lawyer is weighing an appeal, and a separate criminal trial on 32 counts is scheduled to begin on Feb. 3, 2026.