Cases

Curistan v Times Newspapers Ltd (CA)

Facts

The Claimant brought libel proceedings against the Sunday Times over an article that he alleged claimed he was guilty of involvement in money-laundering for the IRA and other financial malpractice. The Defendant relied upon defences of justification (of a Chase Level 2 meaning) and qualified privilege. The privilege defence sought protection of part of the article on the basis that it was a fair and accurate report of what had been said in Parliament during a speech by an MP. At the trial of preliminary issues of meaning and privilege, the Judge ruled that although some of the article was protected by qualified privilege, the meaning of the remainder of the article, applying the repetition rule, was a Chase Level 1 meaning of guilt. The Defendant appealed the ruling on meaning and the Claimant appealed the ruling on privilege.

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