Court Rejects Claim for Brothel Visits

BERLIN - A court Friday rejected an unemployed man's demand for four government-paid brothel visits a month to ensure his "health and bodily well-being" while his wife is abroad.

The 35-year-old welfare recipient sought about $3,050 a month to fund the brothel trips, along with eight pornographic videos and transport costs to and from a video store. He sued the state after authorities refused to pay for his Thai wife to fly back to Germany.

A court in the town of Ansbach threw out the claim, saying social security benefits already cover "everyday requirements." It said the man, who was not identified, would appeal - at taxpayer expense.

Amid Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's drive to broadly trim welfare-state programs, court decisions in favor of welfare recipients have recently caused an uproar in Germany.

In August, an unemployed Frankfurt man won state-funded treatment with the impotence drug Viagra. Later, another court ruled that German social services must pay a 64-year-old expatriate's $875-a-month rent in Miami.

The latter ruling prompted the government to tighten laws on welfare payments abroad and declare that "there will be no more social security under palm trees."