Zurich-based Sandra Nemeth claimed she was first to find the mummy. According to her account, the Simons arrived later and a row broke out over who made the discovery.
"At that point, I spat on him. I wanted to leave DNA evidence of my discovery," Nemeth told reporters.
The other claim, from Magdalena Jarc, contended the Simons arrived slightly later. The actress said she discovered the mummy and then looked for someone to photograph her finding. The people she found were the Simons, she said.
The court rejected both claims, as they proved incompatible with the facts established during the long 2003 trial that named the Simons Ötzi's official discoverers. Moreover, Nemeth’s DNA was not found on the body, and Jarc could produce no witness to confirm her account.
The court confirmed that Erika and Helmut Simon as Ötzi's finders, ordering that the Bolzano autorities pay for the legal expenses.
Finding Ötzi brought the German couple little happiness. Helmut Simon died in 2004 during a hike, his body trapped in ice just like his famous find.
His death strengthened the legend of an "Ötzi curse": So far seven people who had something to do with the mummy have died under mysterious circumstances.
According to Eduard Egarter Vigl, Ötzi's caretaker at the Bolzano museum, the legal battle detracts from the mummy's true value.
"He is human being and deserves respect. It doesn't matter if he died more than 5,000 years ago, he should not be treated like an object," Egarter told Discovery News.
