Defamation/ Libel

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…

25.10.23

#MeToo six years on: how the courts are handling sexual misconduct defamation claims

Whilst the origins of the MeToo movement date back to 2006, the movement exploded in 2017 with the help of a Twitter hashtag.  Victims of sexual misconduct across the world were encouraged to speak out.  In 2017 we considered the legal issues arising from making allegations of sexual misconduct online and asked whether it was…

20.10.23

Where are we now with serious harm? Understanding section 1 of the Defamation Act 2013

Defamation lawyers had hoped that the Supreme Court’s judgment in Lachaux v Independent Print Ltd & Anor [2019] UKSC 27 (see our blog here) would provide some much-needed clarity on how section 1 of the Defamation Act 2013 should be interpreted.  Prior to Lachaux preliminary issue trials had become something of a bête noire for…

21.07.23

Court of Appeal overturns decision of High Court judge to refuse to accept undertakings in harassment claim

We previously published a press release on behalf of our client Dr Erica Smith following the outcome of her harassment and privacy claim against former colleague and UCL academic Dr Christopher Backhouse.  The claim concerned a sustained campaign of online harassment, which included the creation of Twitter accounts impersonating Dr Smith and offering sexual services…

14.07.23

Could The Sun be facing the “mother of all privacy claims”?

On 11 July 2023, on the News Agents podcast, broadcaster Jon Sopel asked whether The Sun could be facing “the mother of all libel claims” for publishing allegations against a then unnamed BBC presenter.  On 13 July 2023, Vicky Flind confirmed that her husband Huw Edwards was the broadcaster in question.  It might be too…

26.06.23

Retired ophthalmologist awarded £30,000 libel damages for Facebook slur

In December 2022 Dr Than Wai, a retired ophthalmologist, originally from Myanmar, issued libel proceedings against Dr Htay Kywe, a retired General Practitioner, also originally from Myanmar, in respect of allegations made by Dr Kywe on the ‘Moe Joe News’ Facebook page. The words sued upon (that Dr Wai was, in essence, a “stoolie”) were…