Sex blogger wins libel case against Independent on Sunday – The Guardian
“Author Zoe Margolis has been awarded damages over newspaper’s ‘hooker’ headline.”
The Guardian, 21st May 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Category: defamation
Libel court ‘is not the right place for faith disputes’ – The Independent
“One of Britain’s most senior judges said yesterday that libel courts must not become places where religious and doctrinal differences are hammered out.”
The Independent, 18th May 2010
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Barry George wins damages over claim he was obsessed with Cheryl Cole – Daily Telegraph
“Barry George, who was cleared of murdering Jill Dando, accepted substantial undisclosed libel damages over claims that he was obsessed with Cheryl Cole and Kay Burley.”
Daily Telegraph, 14th May 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Government outlines plans on privacy and surveillance – OUT-LAW.com
“The new Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition Government said that it will beef up freedom of information law and reduce the number of people whose details are held on the Government’s DNA database.”
OUT-LAW.com, 13th May 2010
Source: www.out-law.com
Media judges in the spotlight as Eady J’s future is thrown into doubt – The Lawyer
“Media law has become an intensely controversial area and the demand for reform is growing, with editors and politicians attempting to influence the debate.”
The Lawyer, 3rd May 2010
Source: www.thelawyer.com
“World’s worst tennis pro” loses Telegraph libel case – The Lawyer
“The High Court has thrown out a defamation claim brought against the Daily Telegraph by tennis player Robert Dee, who claimed the paper had defamed him by dubbing him the ‘world’s worst tennis pro’.”
The Lawyer, 28th April 2010
Source: www.thelawyer.com
The Sun pays out to doctor over front-page terror slur – The Guardian
“A doctor accepted ‘substantial’ libel damages at the high court today over false allegations in the Sun linking him to terrorism.”
The Guardian, 27th April 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Media: British Chiropractic Association v Dr Simon Singh – Law Society’s Gazette
“While the northern hemisphere is paralysed by the seismic shift that has caused the Icelandic volcano, Mt Eyjafjallajökull, to erupt, the case of the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) against Dr Simon Singh promises to have an equally seismic effect on the legal landscape of libel in the UK and the defence of fair comment – especially in the area of scientific debate.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 22nd April 2010
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Legal experts fear new case of ‘libel tourism’ – The Guardian
“A Saudi businessman who is being sued over a suspected multibillion-dollar fraud is invoking English libel law in what experts say is the latest high-profile example of ‘libel tourism’.”
The Guardian, 18th April 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
How many libel cases are there? – The Guardian
“As science writer Simon Singh wins his libel case, we look at how the numbers of proceedings have changed.”
The Guardian, 15th April 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
British Chiropractic Association v Singh – WLR Daily
British Chiropractic Association v Singh [2010] EWCA Civ 350; [2010] WLR (D) 96
“A statement, made by a scientific journalist in a newspaper article, that there was ‘not a jot of evidence’ to support a professional body’s claims of certain medical benefits resulting from its members’ treatment of patients was not an assertion of fact but a statement of opinion.”
WLR Daily, 12th April 2010
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Judicial committee to investigate use of ‘super injunctions’ – OUT-LAW.com
“A judicial committee has been set up to investigate the use of ‘super injunctions’, the gags on the press which newspapers are not even allowed to acknowledge the existence of.”
OUT-LAW.com, 12th April 2010
Source: www.out-law.com
High Court ruling serves as a warning against any moderation of user comments – OUT-LAW.com
“A blog owner can avoid liability for user-generated content that appears on his site without being checked or moderated, the High Court has ruled. But fixing the spelling or grammar in users’ posts could lose him that protection, it said.”
OUT-LAW.com, 8th April 2010
Source: www.out-law.com
Overhaul of libel laws ‘will have to wait’ – The Independent
“Plans to cut the profits of law firms who bring libel claims against the media have been dropped, MPs have been told. Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, had promised an overhaul of Britain’s libel laws after a review found the rules had a ‘chilling effect’ on freedom of expression. Among the reforms was a draft law to reduce the fees charged by ‘no-win no-fee’ lawyers in defamation cases from 100 per cent to 10 per cent.”
The Independent, 8th April 2010
Soruce: www.independent.co.uk
Jack Straw hopes to save libel reform measure after MPs rebel – The Guardian
“The justice secretary, Jack Straw, has said he hopes to save legislation to cut the size of the ‘no win no fee’ deals used by libel lawyers before the impending general election.”
The Guardian, 1st April 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Simon Singh wins libel court battle – The Guardian
“Science writer Simon Singh today won his court of appeal battle for the right to rely on the defence of fair comment in a libel action.”
The Guardian, 1st April 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Publisher not liable for search engine summary, rules High Court – OUT-Law.com
“A publisher should not be responsible for a libel created by the out-of-context publication of material by a search engine, the High Court has ruled.”
OUT-LAW.com, 29th March 2010
Source: www.out-law.com
Lord Martin defends no-win no-fee libel lawyers – BBC News
“Former Commons Speaker Lord Martin has spoken up in defence of ‘no win, no fee’ libel lawyers – whose fees the government is trying to curtail.”
BBC News, 25th March 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Government plans libel shield for online news archives – OUT-LAW.com
“The Government has outlined its plans for a reform of libel law, but said that it will not be possible to pass the proposed new law before this year’s general election.”
OUT-LAW.com, 24th March 2010
Source: www.out-law.com
Reform of libel laws will protect freedom of expression – Ministry of Justice
“Reforms of the law on libel will be taken forward in the next Parliament, Justice Secretary Jack Straw announced today.”
Ministry of Justice, 23rd March 2010
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
