Year: 2010

New proposal for anonymity appeals

The Law Commission in a new draft bill has proposed a new statutory appeal for a child or young person, where the trial judge refuses to restrict reporting to protect his or her identity.  Such… Read More »

Pitt & Jolie win ‘false privacy’ case

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have accepted an undisclosed sum of damages in settlement of their privacy claim against the News of the World. The couple sued the newspaper over two stories published in January which falsely… Read More »

Amazon reviews case settles

A settlement was concluded today of the complaint brought by Dr Rachel Polonsky and Professor Robert Service against Professor Orlando Figes of Birkbeck College, London over reviews of their works posted on the Amazon website…. Read More »

Flood wins Reynolds appeal

The Court of Appeal has overturned the finding made by Mr Justice Tugendhat that a report published by The Times about an investigation into a Detective Sergeant Flood was protected by Reynolds privilege. Tugendhat J’s… Read More »

Second reading for Defamation Bill

The second reading of Lord Lester’s Defamation Bill is taking place in the House of Lords today. The Bill, which received its first reading on 26 May 2010, contains wide-ranging proposals for the reform of defamation law,… Read More »

Fiddes v Channel 4 libel claim settles

Matt Fiddes has discontinued the libel claim he brought against Channel 4, the parties announced today. The Claimant had brought an action over a Cutting Edge programme entitled “The Jacksons are Coming” broadcast in November 2008… Read More »

Fiddes trial to go ahead without jury

A libel claim brought by Matt Fiddes against Channel 4 is to be tried without a jury, the Court of Appeal ruled today. The Claimant is bringing an action over a Cutting Edge programme entitled… Read More »

PCC Review reveals seven-fold increase in complaints

The PCC has released its Annual Review for 2009, revealing it received it received more than 37,000 complaints during 2009, up from 4,700 complaints received the previous year. Around 25,000 complaints concerned Jan Moir’s article about the… Read More »

Barry George wins libel damages

The settlement of Mr George’s libel claim against MGN Ltd, Tina Weaver and David Jeffs was announced in a Statement in Open Court before Mr Justice Eady today. Mr George had complained of articles in… Read More »

Doctor accepts substantial libel damages

A doctor today accepted £115,000 libel damages over false allegations on the front page of The Sun that he was linked to terrorism. In a statement in open court read today his solicitor, Leo Dawkins of… Read More »

Les Mis star wins libel compensation

The actor Simon Bowman was today awarded £4,250 by the High Court pursuant to the offer of amends scheme in compensation for injury caused by the publication of a defamatory article on the Mirror.co.uk website. However,… Read More »

Mosque Trust granted permission to appeal

The North London Central Mosque Trust has today been given permission to appeal the ruling by Eady J that its trustees could not pursue a libel claim to vindicate its reputation. A claim was brought in… Read More »

Libel law discussion on Radio 4

Clive Anderson’s radio series Unreliable Evidence this week looks at the current state of defamation law and practice. 5RB‘s Joint Head of Chambers Adrienne Page QC joins a panel that includes Lord Hoffman to discuss some of… Read More »

Durand School receives libel apology

The Headteacher, former Headteacher and Chair of Governors of Durand Primary School, a foundation school in Stockwell, London have received an unreserved apology and retraction over allegations made by the father of a former trainee… Read More »

BCA discontinue Singh claim

Following Simon Singh’s successful result in the Court of Appeal, the British Chiropractic Association has withdrawn its libel claim against him. In April 2008, the Guardian published in its Comment and Debate section an article… Read More »

Simon Singh wins appeal

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, sitting with the Master of the Rolls and Sedley LJ, today allowed Simon Singh’s appeal against decisions of Eady J last year in the libel claim brought against him by… Read More »

Expenses MP in libel setback

Evening Standard Limited (ESL) has struck out the meanings in a claim brought against it by Conservative MP Jacqui Lait. ESL applied to strike out Lait’s claim, which related to an Evening Standard article of… Read More »

Libel Working Group report published

The Libel Working Group, which was established by the Ministry of Justice in January to consider reforms to the law of libel, has published its report.  The Working Group‘s mandate was to consider whether the… Read More »