Latest news

Fallon racing ban upheld

The Appeal Board of the Horseracing Regulatory Authority today decided that Kieren Fallon should remain banned from racing in the UK pending his trial on criminal charges of conspiracy to defraud gamblers.   The Board,… Read More »

Armstrong settles Times libel case

Seven-times winner of the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong has settled his libel case against the Sunday Times over doping allegations after the cyclist won an important pre-trial ruling at the High Court in London.  … Read More »

Father wins family report ban case

The Court of Appeal today overturned an injunction preventing a father from publicly identifying his child as the subject of a custody battle.   In a significant decision, the Court ruled that section 97 of… Read More »

Jameel reaches the Lords

The House of Lords will today hear argument in the appeal by the Wall Street Journal Europe in the case of Jameel & Anor v Wall Street Journal Europe Sprl.   The grounds of appeal for… Read More »

Sir Elton fails in injunction bid

Sir Elton John this evening failed in an attempt to restrain publication of photos of him taken by a freelance photographer in the street outside his West London home.   At a 2-hour hearing in… Read More »

Dentist loses libel & harassment case

A dentist has lost a claim for libel and harassment brought against her former employer, Newcastle Primary Health Care Trust, and 12 employees of the Trust.   Denise Merelie contended that she was libelled in a… Read More »

Armstrong wins latest Times battle

World Champion cyclist Lance Armstrong has won the latest round of his battle with The Sunday Times over allegations that he had used performance enhancing drugs in his cycling career. The Court of Appeal today… Read More »

Former driving examiner wins £30,000

A former driving examiner has won £30,000 in libel damages over claims that he had deliberately failed driving test candidates and had distorted the Driving Standards Agency’s percentage pass rates at the Ashford Driving Test Centre where he used… Read More »

R1 rapped again over bad language

Broadcasting regulator Ofcom has found BBC Radio 1 in breach of its Broadcasting Code after a series of on-air incidents involving offensive language on the Chris Moyles breakfast show earlier this year. Three separate incidents in January… Read More »

Adidas can use logo at Wimbledon

Adidas has succeeded in its application for an interim injunction against the organisers of the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments and will be allowed to use its 3-stripe design on players’ clothing at Wimbledon. The Grand Slam Committee… Read More »

Watchdog orders ID card report release

The freedom of information watchdog has ordered the Government to publish secret reports containing its assessment of the benefits and risks of identity cards. The Department of Work and Pensions had prepared the reports on how the cards could… Read More »

ECJ rules on airline data case

The European Court of Justice has ruled that an agreement struck two years ago between the European Commission and the United States which enables US authorities to obtain and process personal data of US-bound European airline passengers… Read More »

Boris Berezovsky wins £50,000

A High Court jury in London today awarded Russian tycoon and political campaigner, Boris Berezovsky £50,000 in libel damages for a false claim that he habitually threatened people.   The Defendants, Mikhail Fridman and his… Read More »

£100,000 damages for Sir Elton John

In a statement in open court read today Associated Newspapers apologised to Sir Elton John, having paid him £100,000 in damages. Sir Elton John today accepted £100,000 libel damages, and payment of his legal costs,… Read More »

FIFA climbdown on doping regulations

FIFA’s President has agreed that football will bring its rules on doping into line with those of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Sepp Blatter, the President of FIFA, has indicated that the rule changes would be… Read More »

Judge calls for libel and privacy reform

A senior Court of Appeal judge yesterday called for a tough new independent regulator for newspapers and claimed that the law of libel  “over-protects personal reputation at the expense of free speech”. Giving a lecture at Oxford University, Lord Justice Sedley was critical… Read More »

Afghan Hijackers name ban lifted

The High Court today overturned an order preventing the press from identifying nine Afghans who hijacked an airliner in Afghanistan and held its occupants at gunpoint for four days at Stansted Airport in 2000.   Following a… Read More »

BNP candidates lose libel claim

Two British National Party general election candidates have today lost their libel action over an article published in anti-fascist magazine Searchlight. Eady J held that the article was privileged under the doctrine of reportage established… Read More »

Call for jail terms for data thieves

The Information Commissioner today called for prison sentences of up to two years for the illegal buying and selling of personal information. In a report to Parliament entitled “What Price Privacy?” he states his “deep concern… Read More »

Beatles iTunes challenge fails

The surviving Beatles and the estates of George Harrison and John Lennon have lost the latest installment of the dispute over Apple Computer’s use of a logo depicting an apple. The Beatles, who established their… Read More »