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6.12.18

Economou v De Freitas: is a contributor to a matter of public interest now immune from suit?

In Economou v De Freitas [2018] EWCA Civ 2591, the Court of Appeal considered the scope of the “publication on a matter of public interest” defence under section 4 of the Defamation Act 2013 for the first time. Facts As the Court of Appeal acknowledged, the background to the claim was tragic. In late December…

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27.11.18

Doyle v Smith: Blogger’s public interest defence fails

In Doyle v Smith [2018] EWHC 2935 (QB), a parish councillor and blogger/citizen journalist, failed to defend a libel claim on the grounds that publication had been on a matter of public interest.  The case is the first example of a blogger seeking to rely on the statutory defence introduced by section 4 of the…

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1.08.16

Public interest defence successfully deployed at libel trial for first time

The claimant in the case of Economou v De Freitas ([2016] EWHC 1853 (QB)) has lost his libel action against the father of a woman who accused him of rape. The claimant, Alexander Economou, brought the action over statements published in the media between November and December 2014 which he claimed amounted to a “public rubbishing” by the…

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Articles are intended as an introduction to the topic and do not constitute legal advice.