Media Law News
Latest Media Law News & Publications
By its very nature, the majority of Carter-Ruck’s pre-publication and privacy-related work is confidential and must remain so. However, a selection of recent media and defamation work highlights which are in the public domain is set out below.
Middle East Eye defeats libel claim brought by prominent Palestinian and UAE “fixer”
Mohammed Dahlan, the Palestinian politician and former head of the secret police in Gaza, has abandoned his long-running libel claim in the High Court in London against Middle East Eye (a prominent London-based news organisation covering events in the Middle East) and its editor-in-chief, David Hearst.
Read the Press Release here.
Middle East Eye and David Hearst were advised by Adam Tudor and Aidan Shipman of Carter-Ruck.
Interpal Trustees secure full apology and £50,000 in libel damages from Jewish Chronicle
The Jewish Chronicle has paid £50,000 in damages and published a full apology to the Trustees of Interpal, a UK-registered charity that provides relief and development aid to Palestinians in need, over the newspaper's publication of false and defamatory allegations in March 2019.
Interpal and it Trustees are advised by Adam Tudor and Helena Shipman of Carter-Ruck
Apology from Jewish Chronicle
Press release from Interpal
Article in the Jewish Chronicle by Ibrahim Hewitt, Chair of the Trustees of Interpal
Article in the Press Gazette
Pakistan Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif issues complaint after “politically motivated” Mail attack
Shehbaz Sharif, President of the PML-N party, Leader of the Opposition in Pakistan and former Chief Minister of Punjab, has issued a formal legal complaint against the Mail on Sunday and Mail Online, and its journalist David Rose, about an article published on Sunday, 14 July 2019.
Read the Press Release.
Nasser Al Khelaifi – Media Attacks Based On Forged Document
A press release concerning the failure of The Guardian, Der Spiegel and Mediapart to provide an opportunity for Mr Nasser Al Khelaifi to rebut claims made in a forged document. Mr Al Khelaifi will be filing a criminal complaint for forgery and the use of forged material in France.
Read the full press release here.
Cameron Doley (Carter-Ruck, London) and Francis Szpiner and Renaud Semerdjian (Stas & Associés, Paris) are lawyers acting for Nasser Al Khelaifi.
Guardian: Mail Pays Palestinian Charity Damages Over “Hate Festival” Allegations
The Guardian has reported on the damages of £120,000 paid by the Mail and Mail Online to Carter-Ruck client, Palestinian charity Interpal.
Read the article here.
Daily Mail and MailOnline pay £120,000 damages to Interpal Trustees over false terror allegations
Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail and MailOnline, has published full apologies and paid £120,000 in libel damages to the Trustees of Interpal.
Interpal and its Trustees are advised by Adam Tudor of Carter-Ruck.
MoD apologises and pays substantial damages to Richard Holden for breach of his privacy
The MoD has apologised to Richard Holden, a political advisor, and agreed to pay him substantial damages and the payment of costs, after it breached his privacy and data protection rights by wrongly disclosing documents from his Developed Vetting interview process to the CPS for use in a prosecution against him. Mr Holden was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing by the Judge in the case who told him he "left court without any stain on his character".
Mr Holden was advised by Nigel Tait, Helena Shipman and Katherine Hooley of Carter-Ruck.
The Times article (paywall).
‘POLITE NOTICE’ Biker wins libel case
A motorcycle enthusiast has won his libel claims against four mass circulation newspapers that falsely claimed he attempted to deceive the public into believing he was a police officer.
Mr Emanuel was represented by Nigel Tait, Persephone Bridgman Baker and Mathilde Groppo of Carter-Ruck.
The full Statement in Open Court is attached.
Rachel Nickell allegations: former police commander secures apology and compensation from Mirror
Mirror Group Newspapers has issued an unreserved apology and agreed to pay substantial compensation and legal costs to former police Commander Roy Ramm, after the Mirror newspaper published false and defamatory allegations about him on its website in March 2018.
Mr Ramm was advised by Nigel Tait, Helena Shipman and Katherine Hooley of Carter-Ruck.
The Times article (Paywall).
Time to step up the war against online abuse: Nigel Tait and Persephone Bridgman Baker in The Times
Carter-Ruck Head of Media Law Nigel Tait and Senior Associate Persephone Bridgman Baker give their legal perspective to The Times following the recent Mumsnet case.
Read more here (paywall).
Announcing the birth of the ‘Social Media User’ - Oliver Cox in The Times
Carter-Ruck Senior Associate Oliver Cox has been quoted in Edward Fennell’s legal column in The Times on how new legal personae are evolving for defamation proceedings in the internet age.
Read more here (paywall).
Victoria Anderson recognised in the 2019 “Lawyers Who Are Changing the World For the Better” List
Carter-Ruck is delighted to confirm that Victoria Anderson, a solicitor with the firm, has been highlighted in The 2019 "Lawyers Who Are Changing the World for the Better" list, compiled by award winning news platform The Attic, Obelisk's ‘thinking space’.
To read more click here
Nigel Tait’s 60 second interview with April French Furnell of Citywealth
April French Furnell of Citywealth speaks to Carter-Ruck's Managing Partner Nigel Tait, about the rise in UHNW clients being blackmailed and still getting a buzz from stopping intrusive or defamatory articles about clients being published.
To read the full article click here.
‘He tried to strangle me’: Supreme Court says judges must ‘inhabit the world of the Facebook reader’
On 3 April 2019 the Supreme Court gave its judgment in the case of Stocker v Stocker. Five judges unanimously overturned the 12 February 2018 Court of Appeal decision. Carter-Ruck Senior Associate Oliver Cox looks at the decision on Inforrm’s Blog and examines key points of interest for practitioners going forward.
Read more here.
Carter-Ruck in Legal Week
Following a series of various high profile scandals, where NDAs have received negative press, Persephone Bridgman Baker shares her thoughts with Legal Week on why we must not allow cases like Weinstein and Green to create an atmosphere in which the existence of an NDA implies evidence of guilt.
To read the full article click here (Paywall).
