Daily Mail faces £3m bill after libel battle with businessman Andy Miller – The Guardian

Posted November 17th, 2014 in appeals, costs, damages, defamation, media, news, police, Supreme Court by sally

‘The Daily Mail faces a potential legal bill that could be as high as £3m, believed to be among the highest since controversial no-win, no-fee agreements were introduced, after libelling a businessman.’

Full story

The Guardian, 14th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Dr Daniel Ubani wins costs from Cambridgeshire victim’s son – BBC News

‘A man whose father was killed by a lethal overdose from a doctor said he feels “physically sick” at the idea of paying the physician’s legal costs.’

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BBC News, 7th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lady Gaga the polo pony in High Court libel battle – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 23rd, 2014 in animals, costs, damages, defamation, news by sally

‘A polo pony called Lady Gaga was at the centre of a High Court libel battle after her ‘reputation was slurred’ on YouTube.’

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Daily Telegraph, 22nd October 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Gerry McCann attacks ‘disgraceful’ Sunday Times after £55k libel payout – The Guardian

Posted October 3rd, 2014 in compensation, defamation, media, missing persons, news by tracey

‘Gerry McCann, the father of missing Madeleine, has accused the Sunday Times of behaving “disgracefully”, after winning a libel payout from the newspaper in a case he believes proves how little the industry has changed following the phone-hacking scandal. McCann and his wife Kate were handed £55,000 in libel damages from the Murdoch-owned paper over a front page story which alleged that the couple had deliberately hindered the search for their daughter, who went missing in Portugal seven years ago.’

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd October 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Law firm wins injunction against former client over online harassment – Legal Futures

Posted September 29th, 2014 in defamation, freedom of expression, harassment, injunctions, internet, law firms, news by tracey

‘A law firm has won an injunction against a former client who set up websites about the firm with its name in the URL, after the High Court deemed his actions to be harassment.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 29th September 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Yeo v Times Newspapers Ltd – WLR Daily

Posted August 29th, 2014 in defamation, juries, law reports by tracey

Yeo v Times Newspapers Ltd: [2014] EWHC 2853 (QB); [2014] WLR (D) 383

‘Since all factual issues in a libel action were for the eventual substantive tribunal it was inappropriate that the outcome of a preliminary application for trial by jury in such an action should be informed by a decision as to whether the case was about factual allegations or about value judgments.’

WLR Daily, 20th August 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Cooke and another v MGN Ltd and another – WLR Daily

Posted August 19th, 2014 in defamation, law reports by tracey

Cooke and another v MGN Ltd and another: [2014] EWHC 2831 (QB); [2014] WLR (D) 379

‘By not defining the term “serious harm” in section 1(1) of the Defamation Act 2013, Parliament had left it to the courts to decide whether the serious harm test had been satisfied on the individual facts of contested claims. In cases where the statements complained of were so obviously likely to cause serious harm to a person’s reputation, that likelihood could be inferred from the words used without the need for further evidence.’

WLR Daily, 13th August 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Express Newspapers fails in attempt to snooker Jimmy White – Zenith Chambers

Posted June 6th, 2014 in defamation, gambling, news, sport by sally

‘On 17th June 2012 the Daily Star Sunday published an article about Jimmy White, the well-known professional snooker player, and John Callaghan, a friend and fan of Mr White. The article was in hard copy and online editions and remained online until 17th August 2012.’

Full story (PDF)

Zenith Chambers, 27th May 2014

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk

Alexander Horne and Oonagh Gay: Ending the Hamilton Affair? – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘Article 9 of the Bill of Rights 1689 has been the subject of a variety of legal challenges. The Article, which provides (in modern parlance) that: “the freedom of speech and debates or proceedings in Parliament ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament” is usually considered to be a fundamental feature of the constitution and a cornerstone of parliamentary privilege.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 21st May 2014

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

Line dancing teacher falsely accused of harassment successfully sues rival – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 15th, 2014 in costs, defamation, news, teachers by tracey

‘Award-winning line-dancing teacher Val Myers given apology in High Court after rival falsely accused him of assault and harassing members of the line-dancing community.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 14th May 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Russell Brand wins ‘substantial damages’ for Sun on Sunday article – The Guardian

Posted May 9th, 2014 in damages, defamation, media, news by sally

‘Russell Brand has accepted “substantial” libel damages from the Sun on Sunday over the false claim that he cheated on his girlfriend Jemima Khan.’

Full story

The Guardian, 8th May 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The Defamation Act 2013: reflections and reforms – OUP Blog

Posted April 14th, 2014 in anonymity, defamation, freedom of expression, internet, media, news by sally

‘How can a society balance both the freedom of expression, including the freedom of the press, with the individual’s right to reputation? Defamation law seeks to address precisely this delicate equation. Especially in the age of the internet, where it is possible to publish immediately and anonymously, these concerns have become even more pressing and complex. The Defamation Act 2013 has introduced some of the most important changes to this area in recent times, including the defence for honest opinion, new internet-specific reforms protecting internet publishers, and attempts to curb an industry of “libel tourism” in the U.K.’

Full story

OUP Blog, 14th April 2014

Source: www.blog.oup.com

The Section 5 Defamation Act 2013 Regulations: Cumbersome and of questionable benefit? – 5RB

Posted March 10th, 2014 in defamation, internet, news, regulations by sally

‘Much has been written on the mental gymnastics required by the Defamation (Operators of
Websites) Regulations 2013 (“the Regulations”) issued under section 5 of the Defamation
Act 2013 (“the Act”).’

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5RB, 4th March 2014

Source: www.5rb.com

Makudi v Baron Triesman of Tottenham – WLR Daily

Posted February 28th, 2014 in defamation, law reports, parliamentary privilege, privilege, public interest by sally

Makudi v Baron Triesman of Tottenham [2014] EWCA Civ 179; [2014] WLR (D) 98

‘Where a claim in defamation was brought against the defendant for repeating at an extra-parliamentary inquiry his evidence before a parliamentary committee, he was immune from the claim, by virtue of article 9 of the Bill of Rights 1689, because of the public interest in the evidence and the close nexus between the evidence on the two occasions.’

WLR Daily, 26th February 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Privilege and reporting the contents of documents read by the court – Legal Week

Posted February 28th, 2014 in defamation, documents, law reports, news, privilege by sally

‘The fair and accurate reporting of court proceedings has long been protected from libel action by the defence of privilege. Contemporaneous fair and accurate reports of court proceedings in public are now protected by absolute privilege and other fair and accurate reports by qualified privilege. In the former case no libel action can be brought, in the latter an action will only succeed if malice is proved.’

Full story

Legal Week, 27th February 2014

Source: www.legalweek.com

Judicial Review Concessions, Gay Olympic Controversy, and Defamation in Europe – the Human Rights Roundup – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Last week, the Justice Secretary published the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill. The implications of his revised proposals for judicial review reform are considered in this week’s roundup, along with controversy over gay rights at the Winter Olympics and recent trends in defamation cases before the Court of Human Rights.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 10th February 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Afghan refugee wins ‘Taliban’ libel case – BBC News

Posted January 30th, 2014 in damages, defamation, media, news, refugees by sally

‘An Afghan refugee granted asylum in the UK has accepted substantial libel damages over a newspaper accused him of being a member of the Taliban.’

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BBC News, 29th January 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Court of Appeal refuses blogger permission to appeal in libel case – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 10th, 2014 in appeals, defamation, harassment, internet, news, perverting the course of justice by tracey

‘The Court of Appeal last month refused a blogger permission to appeal in her libel claim against a council and its chief executive, it has emerged.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer,  6th January 2014

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Statement regarding defamation cases – Judiciary of England and Wales

Posted January 10th, 2014 in civil procedure rules, defamation, press releases by tracey

‘During the passage of the Bill that became the Defamation Act 2013, Parliament discussed procedural changes to assist with the implementation of the legislation and the policy underlying it. The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) has now made the rule changes. However, as these have not been as extensive as members of Parliament may have anticipated, I am issuing this statement to provide some clarification and reassurance to Parliament and others…’

Full statement

Judiciary of England and Wales, 2nd January 2014

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Defamation reforms should cut claims but only after courts give guidance on how the new rules apply, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 6th, 2014 in defamation, internet, news, time limits by sally

‘Changes to defamation laws should help cut the number of libel claims being brought before UK courts, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 3rd January 2014

Source: www.out-law.com