Godwin Busuttil
Call: 1994
Call: 1994
Godwin Busuttil is a leading junior barrister specialising in media and communications law.
He was Defamation Junior of the Year in the Chambers UK Bar Awards in 2019 and was shortlisted for the same award in 2018. In 2022 he was part of The Lawyer’s Litigation Team of the Year for his work on Abramovich v HarperCollins Publishers Ltd and was also shortlisted by Chambers as the Media, Privacy and Information Law Junior of the Year.
Godwin has represented clients in many significant cases in the field including several appeals to the Court of Appeal and two in the Supreme Court (Lachaux v Independent Print Ltd, George v Cannell).
Libel; serious harm; causation in the context of serious harm; quantum of damages.
Successfully saw off s.4 Defamation Act 2013 public interest defence at complex preliminary issues trial.
Construction of s.3 Defamation Act 1952 in malicious falsehood.
Construction and application of ss.2, 3 & 4 Defamation Act 2013 in the social media context; successful resistance of appeal.
Ruling on meaning in notorious libel claim arising from ‘Putin’s People’ by Catherine Belton.
Successfully saw of s.4 Defamation Act 2013 public interest defence at trial; damages); [2019] UKSC 27; [2020] AC 612; [2019] EMLR 22 (successful resistance of appeal to Supreme Court having won at first instance and in the Court of Appeal; leading case on ‘serious harm’ under s.1 Defamation Act 2013.
Leading case on internet service liability in libel at common law.
Application of joint tortfeasorship principles to defamation.
Successful appeal from decision refusing to strike out a libel claim as a Jameel abuse.
Appeal concerning adding / substituting parties in a libel claim out of time); also [2008] EWHC 278 (QB); [2009] EMLR 10 (successful resistance of application to strike out based on unaccepted open offer to settle the claim.
Landmark case on pleading defence of justification (truth) of reasonable grounds to suspect meaning & on costs capping.
Privacy injunction relating to acts in a public place; approach to application on return date when injunction refused ex parte.
Appeal concerning the publication of judgments in and reporting of family proceedings involving children; application of paramountcy principle in this context.
Successful trial of claimant’s privacy claim against the BBC arising from the filming by helicopter & live broadcast of a police search of his property.
Landmark privacy decision; successful appeal from striking out of claim arising from photos taken of a child in public by paparazzi.
Application of confidentiality principles in the context of divorce proceedings.
Successful trial of claimant’s privacy & date protection claim against the BBC arising from the filming by helicopter & live broadcast of a police search of his property.
Harassment of headteacher by parents online & in person.
Online harassment; application to set aside judgment in default where final injunction granted.
Privacy interim injunction relating to acts in a public place; correct approach to application on return date when injunction refused ex parte.
Landmark case relating to the application of Spycatcher principles to a final injunction.
Appeal concerning the publication of judgments in and reporting of family proceedings involving children; application of paramountcy principle in this context.
Landmark case relating to the application of Spycatcher principles to a final injunction.
For more information
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