Defamation/ Libel

17.06.24

Press release: GB News apologises to Dale Vince and agrees to pay libel damages

GB News has apologised to Dale Vince, the green energy industrialist, environmental campaigner and co-owner of Forest Green Rovers, for defaming him in a tweet/video published on X on 14 March 2024. The tweet complained of read, “You had a major Labour Party donor who called Hamas “freedom fighters”! No one has asked Labour if…

9.05.24

Press release: The Telegraph pays tech entrepreneur Lu Heng substantial libel damages

The Telegraph has agreed to pay substantial damages to business and tech entrepreneur Lu Heng after accusing him in an article published on its website of disrupting organisations that provide IP addresses to different continents. In a statement read in the High Court today before Mrs Justice Steyn, Mr Lu’s solicitor, Tom Double, explained that the…

25.04.24

Laurence Fox ordered to pay £180,000 in libel damages

Simon Blake, a former trustee of charity Stonewall, and Colin Seymour, the drag artist Crystal, have each been awarded £90,000 in damages following their successful libel claim against Laurence Fox, the founder of the right-wing populist Reclaim Party. History of the claim The claim arose after Fox said he would boycott Sainsbury’s supermarket when it…

3.02.24

When can a libel be defended as honest opinion?

The recent judgment in Dyson v MGN Limited [2023] EWHC 3092, in which the Defendant publisher succeeded in its defence of honest opinion, provides important authority on the interpretation of section 3(4)(a) of the Defamation Act 2013. This decision, as well as the Court of Appeal’s decision in Riley v Murray [2022] EWCA Civ 1146,…

9.01.24

Reverse summary judgment application fails in claim against Geo TV

On 27 November 2023, the High Court handed down judgment on the Defendant’s application for summary judgment in Iqbal v GEO TV Ltd [2023] EWHC 3024 (KB) Background This claim has its origins in the fractious arena of Pakistani politics.  The Claimant Salman Iqbal is the founder and president of ARY Digital Network, one of…

22.11.23

Seeking default judgment on defamation claims

It is not uncommon for defendants to fail to respond to a claim against them.  Indeed, around 90% of the 1.5 million claims issued in England and Wales each year are undefended.    When that happens, the usual course for a claimant is to request or apply for default judgment, which in most cases is entered…

21.11.23

Is it safe to use AI for legal research?  Not yet

The development and use of AI (artificial intelligence) has increased dramatically in the past year. Widely available AI apps can be used to ask complex questions and immediately receive ostensibly sophisticated answers. The use of AI has extended to the legal sector where chatbots can be used to search for cases relating to a particular…

13.11.23

Court rules on meaning in Noel Clarke’s defamation claim against The Guardian

As many readers will know, Noel Clarke, the actor perhaps best known for his roles in three films constituting The Hood Trilogy and the television series Bulletproof, has sued The Guardian newspaper for libel and breach of his data protection rights in respect of eight articles in which he was accused of various forms of…

1.11.23

Press statement: Caroline Ley

This press statement has been issued following the handing down of Mr Justice Julian Knowles’ judgment in Crosbie v Ley [2023] EWHC 2626 (KB)   Our client Caroline Ley is relieved by the outcome of these proceedings which fully vindicate her and highlight the harassment she has suffered at the hands of her former colleague and…

Psychotherapist awarded £75,000 in libel and harassment damages after former colleague found to have pursued a targeted public vendetta and false passing off claim

On 1 November 2023, the High Court handed down judgment in Crosbie v Ley [2023] EWHC 2626 (KB). The Defendant, Siobhain Crosbie, sued the Claimant, Caroline Ley, for passing off.  She sought damages of £1.4 million, plus interest. Ms Ley counterclaimed for libel, harassment, and breach of data protection rights. Mr Justice Julian Knowles dismissed…