Christian Ulmen (50) has achieved a partial victory in the legal dispute with the news magazine "Der Spiegel". The Higher Regional Court of Hamburg prohibited the magazine from raising suspicion that the actor produced or distributed deepfake videos of his former wife Collien Fernandes (44). However, "Spiegel" is allowed to continue reporting on the central allegations of violence. This is evident from statements by both parties regarding the decision dated June 22, 2026.
Unlike the Regional Court before it, the Senate found that the deepfake video suspicion was necessarily raised - with regard to both production and distribution. However, the required minimum body of evidentiary facts was lacking. The fact that Ulmen created and sent deepfake photos, on the other hand, remained undisputed. Deepfakes are images, videos, and audio recordings manipulated or entirely newly created with the help of artificial intelligence.
What Was Demanded - and What Remained
Ulmen originally proceeded with five cease-and-desist requests against the article. They were directed first at the suspicion that he had produced or distributed deepfake videos; second, at the suspicion of physical assaults and serious threats; third, at the suspicion that he had mistreated his ex-wife in Mallorca in January 2023 or prevented her from leaving the apartment; fourth, at a passage about a court hearing there; and fifth, at the reproduction of quotes from an email to his criminal defense attorney.
At first instance, the Hamburg Regional Court recognized only a single one of these points in early May - the passage about the Mallorca court hearing. Before the Higher Regional Court, two more were now added: the prohibition regarding the deepfake video suspicion and the ban on individual email quotes, where the balancing ruled in Ulmen's favor. However, the actor remained unsuccessful regarding the allegations of physical assaults and the alleged mistreatment in Mallorca.
The trigger for the dispute is a "Spiegel" article about allegations by Collien Fernandes, which appeared on March 20, 2026, in issue 13/2026 under the title "Entblößt im Netz"; online it ran under the headline "Strafanzeige gegen Christian Ulmen - ""You virtually assaulted me". Ulmen had filed an immediate appeal against the rejection of most points.
Two Camps, Two Interpretations
Ulmen's lawyers regard the latest decision as an important success. The deepfake video suspicion triggered follow-up reporting bordering on hysteria, according to a press release. They appeal for the investigations to be awaited: The district court in Palma de Mallorca denied its jurisdiction, the proceedings in Potsdam are at the beginning, and there have been no relevant results so far.
"Spiegel", in turn, emphasizes that its core allegations remain undisputed and that reporting on the suspicion of digitally inappropriate violence and physical assaults may continue. The magazine has provided the contested passages with clarifying sentences and a transparency notice and is reviewing further legal action.
Fernandes Counters on Instagram
Collien Fernandes herself has responded on Instagram. She shared two passages from the "Spiegel" article and provided them with the caption "Breaking News: Ulmen fails before Hamburg Higher Regional Court".
The quoted passages revolve around points that the court considers undisputed. According to the Higher Regional Court's findings, Ulmen "undisputedly distributed adult videos and photos of other women who looked similar to his ex-wife under her name". He did this because he "wanted to deceive the recipient" into believing they were recordings of Fernandes.
