Michael Schumacher is considered by many as the greatest F1 race car driver in history. He suffered head injuries in a skiing incident last December 2013 during a family vacation in the Alps. His family has been very private about his condition and they rarely give updates to his fans.
The privacy and secrecy about the F1 legend's health continued this week when a judge prevented the public from knowing details of his condition, per The Express. It stemmed from the Schumacher Family's court battle with Bunte, a German magazine that claimed Michael could walk again.
"The public is excluded from the trial. It is about the health condition of the patient," Judge Simone Kafer said.
The family's lawyer, Felix Damm, announced last October that the claims about his client's health were not true. He noted that Michael cannot stand without the help of therapists and Bunte invaded the privacy of the 47-year-old former driver.
The hearing was held in Hamburg this week with Bunte Chief Editor Tanja May on the stand. The only questions to May were about her compliance to journalistic due diligence when she reported Michael was walking again.
The Schumacher Family is suing Bunte for a measly sum of £85,000 for invasion of privacy. It's just a small amount of money compared to the weekly expenses of maintaining Michael's condition and rehabilitation.
Another example of the family's secrecy about the F1 legend's condition is his former manager Willi Weber. The 74-year-old manager who helped Michael win seven F1 championships told Bunte last week that the family is no longer in contact with him.
"The Schumacher family seems to be afraid of me. I sent the family flowers and cards for his birthday but I got no answer. That makes me sad," Weber said.
"There seems to be the fear that I would disclose something about Michael's condition but I would never do that. I would even sign a non-disclosure agreement," he added.
Weber also believes the family should give public updates regarding Michael's health. He noted that the fans who supported Schumacher during his career deserve to know if their idol is doing okay or not. But as for Michael's new manager, Sabine Kehm, the family will stay private regarding health updates.