“The Guardian’s recent libel victory over Elton John opens the way for other publishers to invoke a US-style parody defence, according to a libel law expert. Publishers should not consider the ruling as a licence to insult though, he said.”
OUT-LAW.com, 9th January 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
“A former associate of The Beatles has won the right to sue in England over a New York Times article which called him a charlatan. Because the article was published online the case should go ahead, the High Court has said.”
OUT-LAW.com, 18th December 2008
Source: www.out-law.com
“A spoof newspaper diary which claimed that Elton John’s fundraising efforts were principally designed to give him a chance to meet other celebrities and engage in self-promotion was not libellous, the High Court has ruled.”
OUT-LAW.com, 17th December 2008
Source: www.out-law.com
“Hollywood actor Scarlett Johansson has accused Cosmopolitan magazine’s UK edition of running fabricated quotes in a cover story interview and is threatening to sue the title.”
The Guardian, 16th December 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Hollywood actor Josh Hartnett has accepted libel damages of £20,000 over allegations of a ‘sexual dalliance’ in a public area of a London hotel.”
BBC News, 11th December 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Club la Costa (UK) plc v Gebhard and Another
Queen’s Bench Division
“An offer to make amends for a defamatory statement could not be valid without the offer or accepting that the specific defamatory meaning contained in the statement complained of was defamatory of the person bringing the complaint.”
The Times, 10th December 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
“The Daily Mail today apologised to former Oliver child actor Mark Lester at the high court and agreed to pay him a five-figure sum in damages.”
The Guardian, 9th December 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Carmen Briscoe-Mitchell turned white with rage at her portrayal as a vicious sadist in her daughter’s best-selling misery memoir. The proud matriarch lost her libel case but tells Robert Verkaik she is unrepentant after sueing.”
The Independent, 6th December 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“Constance Briscoe went into the High Court libel action that could have wrecked her career fully expecting to lose, she says in an interview in today’s Times.”
The Times, 3rd December 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“A mother today lost her High Court libel action over allegations of cruelty, neglect and abuse in her daughter’s best-selling memoir, Ugly.”
The Times, 1st December 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“The former royal butler, Paul Burrell, yesterday accused the News of the World of demonstrating a ‘publish and damn the truth’ mentality after the Press Complaints Commission censured the newspaper over a front-page story that he boasted of having sex with Diana, Princess of Wales. In a ruling published in the News of the World, the commission upheld Burrell’s claim that the newspaper’s failure to include his denial of the story could have misled readers.”
The Guardian, 1st December 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A London judge has defended her memoir detailing a childhood of cruelty and neglect, which was published in 2006.”
BBC News, 18th November 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“A mother is suing her barrister daughter for libel over a book which accused her of childhood abuse and neglect.”
Daily Telegraph, 17th November 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Footballer Ashley Cole is launching a privacy case against a newspaper group over allegations about his sex life.”
Daily Telegraph, 12th November 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Lawyers are not popular and never less so than when they demand their fees. But to be really despised, we must fight and win a “no win, no fee” case and then have the temerity to request payment of our fees with 100 per cent uplift.”
The Times, 6th November 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Courts cannot assume that online material has been read without some evidence in libel cases, a court has ruled. The court cannot simply infer from statistics on website visits that certain people have read a particular article, it said.”
OUT-LAW.com, 4th November 2008
Source: www.out-law.com
“Italian footballer Marco Materazzi has won damages from the Daily Mail over claims he racially abused Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final.”
BBC News, 3rd November 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Club la Costa (UK) plc v Gebhard and another [2008] EWHC 2552 (QB); [2008] WLR (D) 332
“A valid offer to make amends under s 2(2) of the Defamation Act 1996 could not be made without the offeror conceding that the ‘specific defamatory meaning’ which the statement conveyed was defamatory of the person bringing the complaint.”
WLR Daily, 28th October 2008
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
“A tribunal has admitted making inappropriate remarks about an academic at Oxford University, issuing a public apology and agreeing to pay costs and damages after he accused it of libel in what is believed to be the first instance of its kind.”
The Guardian, 27th October 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A man is being threatened with a libel action after posting critical comments on the internet about an eBay user who sold him a mobile phone.”
Daily Telegraph, 23rd October 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
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