The Times has settled a libel action brought by Jerry Hague, agreeing to a joint statement in open court which was read today before Mr Justice Johnson.
Mr Hague is a solicitor and was previously a partner at the law firm Graysons specialising in bringing industrial diseases claims on behalf of former miners and their families. To enable former miners to receive support from the Derbyshire Area NUM by the union’s funding arrangement, a successful Claimant who achieved above a certain amount in damages paid a deferred membership fee to the NUM.
In 2010 the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found that Mr Hague, and some of his fellow partners at Graysons, had committed professional failures because they had failed to follow professional practice rules relating to the adequacy of the advice they provided some of their clients. Mr Hague and his colleagues admitted this charge and Mr Hague was fined £5,000.
On 19 December 2022, The Times in its print and web versions published an article which falsely claimed that Mr Hague, who had been selected in December 2022 as the Labour Party’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Bolsover, had been found guilty of professional misconduct for dishonestly misleading sick ex-miners seeking compensation for industrial injuries as part of a major scandal affecting numerous law firms. It was said he did so by perpetrating a scam against the miners by improperly deducting monies from compensation they received. The article alleged that Mr Hague had admitted this serious wrongdoing and was fined £5,000 by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
The Times accepted that the allegations made against Mr Hague were false, apologised for their publication and agreed to pay Mr Hague substantial damages in compensation and his legal costs.
5RB’s William Bennett KC acted for the Claimant, instructed by Patron Law.
Hannah Gilliland read the statement on behalf of the Defendant.