Year: 2010

The Government has published its response to the consultation paper ‘Defamation and the internet: the multiple publication rule.’ In the paper the Ministry of Justice declares: "in the light of the responses received to this consulation, and… Read More »

A legal claim brought as part of a long running battle between a high profile asbestos surveyor and the Health and Safety Executive has been brought to a premature end. The High Court has struck out… Read More »

McKeown sued for a declaration that the British Horseracing Authority (“BHA”)  acted unlawfully in finding him in breach of the Rules of Racing, and for an injunction to prevent implementation of a 4 year disqualification…. Read More »

Lawyers for Media Standards (LMS) have written to Jack Straw asking him to suspend his decision to cap success fees in defamation cases at 10%.  If such steps are not taken, LMS say that they will begin… Read More »

Yesterday evening Sir David Eady addressed the launch of the new Centre for Law, Justice and Journalism at City University on significant changes that could occur to libel law as a consequence of recent trends… Read More »

Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky today won his libel claim against Russian Television and Vladimir Terluk arising from allegations broadcast in a television programme that he was responsible for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko. Mr Berezovsky was… Read More »

Justice Secretary Jack Straw has announced measures to reduce the success fees that lawyers can charge in no-win, no-fee defamation cases from 100% to 10%. An amendment to the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2000 is laid by… Read More »

The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, chaired by John Whittingdale, has made wide-ranging recommendations for reforming media law in its report Press Standards, Privacy and Libel. The Committee found that the current burden… Read More »

The Independent has today published a retraction of allegations made on its front page on 17 September 2009 concerning commodities trader Trafigura. The newspaper has withdrawn allegations concerning the settlement of claims brought against Trafigura by… Read More »

An Italian court has found three Google executives guilty of privacy code violations. Peter Fleischer, chief privacy counsel; David Drummond, senior vice president and chief legal officer; and George Reyes, a former chief financial officer were given six… Read More »

The Press Complaints Commission has dismissed complaints that two articles about the death of Boyzone star Stephen Gately, written by Daily Mail columnist Jan Moir, were inaccurate, intrusive at a time of grief, and discriminatory in breach of clauses… Read More »

The Supreme Court has granted permission to the Defendants in Joseph v Spiller to appeal against a Court of Appeal decision which upheld the striking out of their fair comment defence.   The case concerns… Read More »

"Complaints about libel tourism come entirely from the Americans and are based upon a belief that the whole world should share their view about how to strike the balance between freedom of expression and the… Read More »

5RB hosted its annual charity pub quiz yesterday evening, to raise funds for the Bar Pro Bono Unit and the Free Representation Unit (FRU). Teams from leading media organisations and solicitors firms entered the competition to win the first… Read More »

5RB’s William Bennett has given a presentation  on English defamation law to a meeting convened by the EU Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs in Brussels. The committee is attempting to devise a set of rules which… Read More »

The group Lawyers for Media Standards (LMS) has published a response to the views raised by proponents of reform of defamation law. The report: Something Rotten in the State of English Libel Law? A Rejoinder… Read More »

5RB’s joint head of chambers Desmond Browne QC has been appointed to a government panel considering changes to the law of libel. The panel, announced yesterday by the Lord Chancellor, Jack Straw, is to consider whether… Read More »

5RB’s James Price QC yesterday took part in a debate on press freedom at Cambridge Union. The motion was “This House believes the British press has too much freedom”. Keith Schilling, proposing the motion, said… Read More »

      Following Lord Justice Jackson’s review of the rules and principles governing costs in civil litigation the Government has launched a consultation seeking views on a proposal to reduce the maximum success fee… Read More »

Lord Justice Jackson’s review of the rules and principles governing costs in civil litigation was published today.  The report makes a number of important recommendations – most notably, that lawyers’ success fees and ATE insurance premiums should… Read More »