{"id":34203,"date":"2021-05-16T15:12:47","date_gmt":"2021-05-16T19:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=34203"},"modified":"2021-05-23T16:24:58","modified_gmt":"2021-05-23T20:24:58","slug":"max-mosley-scandal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/max-mosley-scandal\/","title":{"rendered":"Max Mosley Scandal: Nazi-Themed Orgies?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What happened to Max Mosley after the Nazi orgy scandal? What was the outcome of his court battle with the News of the World<\/em>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2008, News of the World <\/em>published a story about Max Mosley\u2019s involvement in \u201csick\u201d Nazi-themed orgies. \u0130n response, Mosley sued the News of the World<\/em>, and surprisingly, won the case. Strangely, the scandal made Max Mosley even more popular than he was before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is how the Max Mosley scandal unfolded and what happened in its aftermath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Max Mosley Scandal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Max Mosley’s story should have caused massive public shaming\u2014he was a powerful public figure as the head of Formula One racing\u2019s governing body. Yet, somehow, the scandal made Max Mosley more popular. Some people think he leads by example when it comes to feeling unashamed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background on Max Mosley<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When Mosley was in his mid-twenties, he started going to S&M clubs. He found them comfortable and relaxing. They were shame-free places where he could be authentic<\/a>. He was careful, though\u2014he\u2019d started working in the auto industry, which regularly dug up shameful dirt on people to blackmail them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, when lawyer Ralph Nader began to push for seat belt laws after one of his friends was in an accident and became a paraplegic. General Motors was so furious about being told what to do that they hired prostitutes to try to seduce him so they could blackmail him. They also had him followed by private detectives in the hopes of finding something to shame him with.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In spring 2008, the News of the World <\/em>photographed Mosley with hidden cameras while in the middle of a Nazi-themed sex orgy and released the photos and story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Max Mosley didn\u2019t withdraw or apologize when the scandal broke. He showed his wife the story and interviewed with BBC Radio 4. In the interview, he said that in the context of sex, people do strange things. He agreed his sex life was strange, but people shouldn\u2019t think badly of him for it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mosley also sued the <\/strong>News of the World <\/em><\/strong>because they\u2019d written that the orgy was Nazi-themed, which, in reality, it wasn\u2019t<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf The orgy included a prop that the paper called a \u201cSS-style inspection sheet.\u201d In fact, this prop was a spiral-bound notebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n