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25.04.24

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

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…

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…