Supreme Court refuses permission in DPA/libel claim
The Supreme Court has refused the application of London-based Arabic-language web news publisher Elaph Publishing Ltd for permission to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision allowing Prince Moulay Hicham of Morocco to bring claims… Read More »
Journalists seeking comment held not harassment
HHJ Moloney QC sitting as a High Court judge today held that approaches by the media to the subject of a story in order to seek comment was not capable of being harassment in a decision… Read More »
Supreme Court dismisses anonymity Appeal
The Supreme Court today dismissed the Claimant’s appeal in the long running privacy case PNM v Times Newspapers and Newsquest. PNM, who can now be named as Oxford businessman Tariq Khuja, obtained a postponement order… Read More »
Perjury defendant loses anonymity
The Court of Appeal has handed down judgment in R v Jemma Beale, an appeal against an order prohibiting the identification of a defendant in a trial for perjury and perverting the course of justice…. Read More »
Segregated Muslim School Named after Press Challenge
Al Hijrah school in Birmingham brought judicial review proceedings seeking to quash a decision by Ofsted to publish an inspection report into the school. The report concluded, amongst other things, that the policy of segregation… Read More »
Consultant wins Dental CPD dispute
Business consultant Dr Andrew Guise has won his claims for libel, harassment and breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 over a website created about him by entrepreneur Rajeev Shah. Dr Guise had provided services… Read More »
Media and Communications List Report
On 28 June Warby J issued the Media and Communications List Consultation Report, in response to the survey of court users in May 2017. The consultation sough the views of practitioners and other court users… Read More »
No preliminary issue on serious harm
Warby J has refused an application for the issue of serious harm to be tried by way of preliminary issue in Nick Brown MP’s libel claim against Tom Bower and Faber & Faber. Mr Brown… Read More »
Hiranandani-Vandrevala makes statement in open court
On 3 May 2017 Ms Priya Hiranandani-Vandrevala made a Statement in Open Court, marking the end of her legal action against Times Newspapers Ltd. The article in question was published in August 2015 and referred… Read More »
Court of Appeal rejects anonymity challenge
On Friday 9 June 2017, the Court of Appeal gave a ruling in the course of an appeal against sentence on the identification of Stan Markham and Kim Edwards. Markham and Edwards were guilty of… Read More »
Sir Cliff obtains order requiring BBC to say if source was Yewtree
An application to compel the BBC to disclose whether or not its information that Sir Cliff Richard was under investigation by the South Yorkshire Police came from Operation Yewtree has succeeded. In October 2016 Sir… Read More »
5RB at the London Legal Walk 2017
On Monday 22 May the 5RB team of Julian Santos, Alexandra Marzec, Felicity McMahon, and Aled Jones and Ed Smith took part in the London Legal Walk 2016. The London Legal Walk is a 10km in which… Read More »
“Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away!” summary judgment application dismissed
An application by Channel 5 for summary judgment in a privacy claim brought against it arising from a broadcast of Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away! has been dismissed. Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away! is a long… Read More »
Sex Offender Fails in Defamation Claim
Express Newspapers and Associated Newspapers have succeeded in obtaining summary judgment against a Claimant with a previous conviction for a sexual offence on the basis of lack of serious harm to reputation. Both publishers had in error used… Read More »
Timeshare Company wins Libel Damages
A company which specialises in assisting people to exit timeshare contracts was awarded damages and an injunction for libel at the Liverpool Civil Justice Centre on Monday. TESS (Timeshare Exit and Support Services) Limited (‘TESS’)… Read More »
Media and Communications List Consultation
Having taken charge of the new “Media and Communications List” within the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court on 1 March 2017, Mr Justice Warby is now seeking the views of its users on… Read More »
Call for Views on GDPR derogations closes
The DCMS “Call for Views” on potential derogations from the forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) closes tomorrow (midday 10 May 2017). The GDPR is an EU regulation, so will come into force in the… Read More »
Nadhim Zahawi awarded £200,000 libel damages
Nadhim Zahawi has been awarded £200,000 in libel damages in his claim against Press TV and Press TV Ltd. Mr Zahawi, who at the time of the publication complained of was the Conservative MP for… Read More »
5RB Quiz 2017
5RB hosted its 11th annual charity pub quiz last night, to raise funds for the Bar Pro Bono Unit and the Free Representation Unit (FRU). Teams from many leading solicitors firms and media organisations competed over seven rounds of… Read More »
Founder of the Islam Channel awarded £140,000 in libel damages
In a judgment handed down on 30 March 2017 Sir David Eady, sitting as a Judge of the High Court, awarded Mohamed Ali Harrath, the founder and CEO of the Islam Channel, £140,000 in libel… Read More »