Santa Catarina Court Orders Luciano Hang to Pay Lula R$33,000 Over Airborne Insults

Overview

• The 1st Civil Chamber of the Santa Catarina Court of Justice ruled on Oct. 30 that Hang must compensate Lula for moral damages.
• The decision reverses an April 2023 first‑instance dismissal that treated the insults as criticism a public figure must tolerate.
• The court said freedom of expression is not absolute and that the phrases lacked public interest and targeted personal humiliation.
• The case centers on banners towed by planes over Santa Catarina beaches in the 2019/2020 summer with messages such as “Lula cachaceiro devolve meu dinheiro” and “Lula na cadeia, eu com o pé na areia.”
• Hang can appeal the ruling, and immediate responses from the parties were not reported in the initial coverage.