Richard Munden
Call: 2003
Call: 2003
Richard Munden is renowned as a leading specialist in defamation, privacy, and data protection law. His practice encompasses all aspects of media and communications law, including harassment by publication, breach of confidence, contempt and reporting restrictions, and media-related copyright issues.
Richard was one of the original members of the Media and Communications List Users Group Committee (whose judicial members included Mr Justice Nicklin and Senior Master Fontaine), which developed the new Practice Direction 53B and Pre-Action Protocol for Media and Communications List claims, and which worked generally to improve practice and procedure in claims for defamation, privacy, data protection and harassment by publication.
He is a contributing author to the leading professional texts on the Defamation Act 2013, privacy and misuse of private information, and reporting restrictions and contempt of court.
Richard is hugely experienced in defamation claims, for both claimants and defendants.
Acting for Wayne Rooney and HarperCollins Publishers in the libel claim brought against them by Rooney’s former manager David Moyes.
A libel claim relating to 25 television broadcasts, securing £185k damages and the first ever publication order under s.12 of the Defamation Act 2013.
A complex US$500m claim in the Commercial Court for libel, malicious falsehood, breach of confidence, conspiracy and various foreign law claims, involving a freezing injunction and numerous interlocutory orders.
Acting in the leading case on statutory reporting privilege, for the successful Defendant.
Acting for JK Rowling in her libel claim against the publishers of the Daily Mail (which reached the Court of Appeal).
Acting for Shahbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s opposition leader, in a libel claim over an article in the Mail on Sunday accusing him of embezzlement and money laundering.
Acting for Richard Tice MP to defend a tweet about Labour donor Dale Vince’s interview comments about Hamas post-7th October.
Acting for ‘bitcoin billionaire’ Ben Delo in a successful claim over a misleading newspaper report of foreign criminal proceedings.
Successfully defending Amazon in respect of a documentary film about double Olympic gold boxing champion Nicola Adams OBE, in a claim brought by the boxer’s mother claiming the film libelled her when discussing Ms Adams’ upbringing, experiences of domestic violence and communications with her mother.
A number of claims overlapping with unfair dismissal and Employment Tribunal claims, including Parris v Ajayi, Kostakopolou v University of Warwick and Robson-Hill v United Learning Trust.
Acting for the 3rd in line to the Moroccan throne in respect of allegations of disloyal and underhand plotting against his King (including succeeding in the Court of Appeal on defamatory meaning).
Acting for former Conservative Party co-treasurer Peter Cruddas in his successful libel and malicious falsehood claim against the Sunday Times.
Successfully striking out claims brought by a family in relation to their exclusion from Exeter Mosque, on the basis of ‘reply to attack’ and duty-interest qualified privilege.
Obtaining substantial damages for a number of professional footballers falsely accused of involvement in match-fixing.
Acting for Amazon in successfully striking out a claim brought by an author over user comments in a discussion forum.
Successfully obtaining damages and apologies from The Spectator and Melanie Phillips over an article libelling the President of the British Muslim Initiative, and from the same magazine for Islam Expo Ltd.
Obtaining an award of substantial damages and injunction for Professor AC Grayling in a libel claim over false allegations on Twitter.
Acting for the defendants in a complex libel, malicious falsehood and breach of contract claim valued at more than £5.5million.
Defending a claim brought by a MP over an interview referring to well known allegations of sexual abuse.
A successful claim for libel, malicious falsehood and causing loss by unlawful means by a group of accountancy firms involving numerous interlocutory applications.
Acting for numerous celebrities, sportsmen, businesses and individuals in respect of the publication of private and confidential information online and in newspapers and magazines.
Acting in the leading decisions on privacy and freedom of expression, Von Hannover v Germany (No 2) and Axel Springer v Germany in the European Court of Human Rights, for the Media Legal Defence Initiative, the International Press Institute, and The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers.
Acting for Mirror Group Newspapers in the on-going phone hacking litigation, relating to hundreds of claims from celebrities and others in respect of phone hacking and other unlawful information gathering activities, including at the high-profile 7 week trial featuring Prince Harry. This has raised numerous complex issues, in particular as to limitatjon, the protection of journalistic sources, legal professional privilege, disclosure, and Part 36 offers, as well as privacy issues more generally.
Successfully defending Amazon in respect of a documentary film about double Olympic gold boxing champion Nicola Adams OBE, in a claim brought by the boxer’s mother claiming the film invaded her privacy when discussing Ms Adams’ upbringing, experiences of domestic violence and communications with her mother, which raised interesting issues about the right to tell one’s own story even when that involves third parties.
Acting for Ian Edmondson, former News of the World Assistant Editor, in the News Group phone hacking litigation and at the Leveson Inquiry.
Acting for former boxer Ricky Hatton in respect of photographs and articles about his private life.
Obtaining injunctions against Google and Facebook in respect of private and confidential information published online.
Acting for a child rape victim indirectly identified in a local newspaper.
Data protection is a significant part of Richard’s practice.
The landmark case, before both the High Court and Court of Appeal, establishing the ability for claimants to bring claims for inaccuracy of personal data alongside libel.
Numerous similar claims in which data protection has been used alongside or as an alternative to libel, for both claimants and defendants.
Advising Cheryl Fernandez-Versini in respect of inaccurate sensitive personal data published online.
Various data breach claims, acting for both data subjects and controllers.
Numerous ‘right to be forgotten’/right to erasure requests and applications to Google, other search engines and websites and the ICO (Richard led the seminar on the implications of the Google Spain ‘Right to be forgotten’ judgment at Conference5RB).
Claims relating to operators of databases provided for Anti-Money Laundering and Know Your Client purposes, including ‘Politically Exposed Persons’.
Advising a number of organisations, including the Bar Standards Board, on their obligations under the GDPR (and UK GDRP), DPA, PECR and ePrivacy Directive.
Subject access requests under the DPA and GDPR, advising individuals and organisations.
Acting for the SRA in a claim over the disclosure of the identity of the subject of disciplinary proceedings, relating to criminal convictions.
Successfully defending a police force in a DPA and HRA claim in respect of an Enhanced Criminal Record Certificate.
Acting for music festival organisers in respect of a substantial ICO monetary penalty.
Richard also has great experience of making and resisting applications for injunctions in harassment in cases relating to actual or threatened publication, online or offline.
Obtaining an injunction against a former employee spreading damaging allegations online.
Successfully resisting a claim for an injunction brought by actor and author David Walliams and his ex-wife against a well known photography agency.
Successfully striking out a harassment claim brought by a local government officer over repeated blogs critical of her (‘The Sandwell Skidder’).
In respect of a campaign of vilification carried out on television, raising jurisdiction issues.
Obtaining injunctions and damages for a businessman, the subject of an anonymity order, in respect of a vicious campaign of vilification by leaflet, post and email.
Acting for a TV personality in respect of an injunction granted over persistent allegations continuing after the conclusion of a police investigation.
Acting for organisations, including a well-known healthcare provider and a betting exchange, to obtain anti-harassment injunctions to protect their employees and clients.
Richard has provided pre-publication advice on libel, privacy, data protection, contempt, copyright and other legal issues to national newspapers, broadcasters, and book publishers, among others.
Richard has acted and advised in various matters relating to contempt of court.
Richard has advised and acted in a number of matters relating to reporting restrictions, including making applications to lift restrictions for national broadcasters and newspapers, and to make them on behalf of parties and others concerned in proceedings.
Richard has also advised and acted on various copyright matters relating to the music, television and publishing industries.
Acting for Aston “Family Man” Barrett (Bob Marley & The Wailers) against Universal-Island Records in his claim for songwriting credits and royalties on well-known Marley recordings.
For Associated Newspapers in a privacy and copyright claim brought by singer Lily Allen.
For the claimants, in respect of stolen and copied documents appearing on a website.
For Manchester United FC in respect of misuse of a confidential database.
For Uri Geller in respect of footage broadcast by a national broadcaster.
For the estate of J.R.Tolkien in respect of unlicensed imitations of the “One Ring” from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Providing pre-publication copyright advice to broadcasters, newspapers and publishers, in particular on fair dealing issues.
For more information
For more information or to instruct Richard please get in touch with our clerking team, who can deal with your enquiry and provide any required information: