Legal rulings in Brazil address corporate accounting and right of reply

The Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ) has ruled that a de facto partner can demand an accounting of management from a company administrator, even without formal registration in the company's articles of association. The Third Panel decided that a legal link to the business is sufficient to justify such an action, provided the temporal scope and reasons for the request are defined. This follows a case where a former spouse, entitled to a share of capital through a separation agreement, sought accounts for the period before her formal inclusion in the commercial registry.

Separately, the São Paulo Court of Justice (TJ-SP) upheld a decision requiring SBT to broadcast a right of reply for Deputy Erika Hilton on the ‘Programa do Ratinho’. The ruling stems from comments made by the presenter regarding the deputy's gender identity. The court determined that while political criticism is permitted, denying a person's gender identity constitutes an unlawful act rather than an opinion. The broadcaster must display the response during the same program and time slot as the original remarks or face daily fines.