Sarkozy, Bruni win damages over Ryanair ad

A French court ordered budget airline Ryanair to pay damages to President Nicolas Sarkozy and his new wife Carla Bruni for using their picture in an advertisement but the sum was less than Bruni had sought.

The court ordered Ryanair to pay symbolic damages of one euro to Sarkozy and 60,000 euros ($88,870) to his wife. Bruni, at one time one of the world's most highly paid fashion models, had been seeking damages of 500,000 euros.

The pair's lawyer said she planned to give the money to a charity providing food for the poor.

"Madame Bruni is satisfied with the court's decision to condemn Ryanair," said lawyer Thierry Herzog.

"She will pay the entire 60,000 euros to Restos du Coeur (Restaurants of the Heart).".

Sarkozy and Bruni sued Ryanair over the advertisement for cut price tickets published in Le Parisien newspaper last week, featuring a photo of the smiling pair.

The advertisement showed a cartoon bubble above Bruni, the scion of an Italian industrial dynasty, reading: "With Ryanair, my whole family can come to my wedding." The French president and the Italian-born model and singer were married during a private ceremony in the Elysee Palace at the weekend, setting the seal on a romance that has fascinated the world's press since it was revealed two months ago.

Ryanair had admitted the advertisement was facetious and offered to make a 5,000 euros donation to charity but its
lawyers argued that as a high profile couple, Sarkozy and Bruni had to accept inconvenient attention.

The ruling comes a day after Ryanair warned that high oil prices and a weaker British economy could hurt its profits in the 2008/09 business year.