Mother-of-five accepts libel damages, apology over 'scrounger' slur
A mother of five who was falsely labelled a ‘scrounger’ by the Daily Express has settled her libel claim against the publishers of the newspaper after they agreed to publish an apology and correction and to pay her damages and legal costs.
Anna Taylor, then living in Camborne, Cornwall, was angered when Job Centre staff told her that she would take home less money if she found a job than if she remained on benefits. She contacted her local MP and wrote to then Prime Minister Tony Blair about what she called the ‘perverse incentives’ of the benefits system.
She then became the subject of negative publicity, including the defamatory Express article which falsely claimed that she was a ‘scrounger’ who did not want to work. The Express have now accepted that this was completely untrue, and have published an apology and correction in their 5 June edition and on their website.
5RB’s Richard Munden (instructed by Humphreys & Co) acted for Mrs Taylor on a Conditional Fee Agreement.
Links
- Anna Taylor: Apology – Express
- Mum wins Express damages over dole ‘scrounger’ claim – Press Gazette