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.
Carter-Ruck secures John Doe injunction – confidential information may not be published by media
Carter-Ruck has secured a "John Doe" injunction on behalf of two substantial companies to prevent a leak of confidential customer information. A John Doe injunction is an interim non-disclosure order made against "persons unknown - a useful tool for situations where the victim of a leak may either not know or only suspect the identity of the culprit but cannot be certain of proving the position due to a lack of evidence and/or journalistic protection of sources, in the short time available before applying for an injunction
Nigel Tait and Oliver Cox acted for the companies.
“The most important libel judgment for years”: Carter-Ruck’s Nigel Tait in The Times
In a long-awaited decision that clarifies libel law in England and Wales, the Court of Appeal has ruled that a claimant can sue over likely damage to their reputation rather than having to show evidence that actual harm has been caused.
2017 Whitepaper Conference – Defamation & Media
Carter-Ruck Media specialist Nigel Tait is chairing the 2017 White Paper Conference on Defamation and Media: Shaping New Law into Solution-Focused Answers for Clients.
White Paper conferences are expert-led intensive conferences aimed at business professionals.
Telegraph apologises to Haras Ahmed and pays substantial damages over false extremism allegation
Mr Haras Ahmed has received from the Telegraph a public apology, substantial libel damages and his legal costs for false allegations made in an article by Andrew Gilligan, that he was a Muslim extremist who had sought to undermine the government’s fight against terror. The Telegraph now accepts that that these allegations are wholly without foundation and that Mr Ahmed is "in no way himself an extremist".
A full Press Release can be read here
Click here to read the online apology
Click here for Press Gazette article
Adam Tudor and Helena Shipman acted for Mr Ahmed
Rached Ghannouchi
Long-standing Carter-Ruck client Rached Ghannouchi has instructed the firm to take action in relation to a news report broadcast by Sky News Arabia on 9 June 2017.
Read the Press Release here.
Mexican Attorney Receives Apology and Damages From The Guardian Over False Corruption Allegations
Ms Aurora Pierdant, an experienced lawyer practising in Mexico, has received a public apology, libel damages and costs after she was the subject of an inaccurate and defamatory article published in the Guardian on 9 August 2016.
Ms Pierdant was represented by Nigel Tait, Persephone Bridgman Baker and Joseph Andriano
The Statement in Open Court can be found here
Click here for the Guardian’s apology
Carter-Ruck announces three new partner promotions
The firm is delighted to announce that Antonia Foster, Miranda Rushton and Rebecca Toman have been promoted to the Carter-Ruck partnership.
To learn more about their work please go to:
Click here for the New Law Journal article
CEO and Founder of Islam Channel awarded £140,000 in libel damages over false terrorism allegation
The High Court has awarded Mohamed Ali Harrath, the CEO and Founder of the Islam Channel, £140,000 in libel damages against the Stand for Peace website and its director, Samuel Westrop, over false allegations that Mr Harrath was guilty of terrorism.
As well as awarding very substantial damages the judge, Sir David Eady, also confirmed in his reasoned judgment that "there was simply no evidence to support the allegation of terrorism" and that "the sum awarded should be such as to leave interested onlookers in no doubt as to the baselessness of the Defendants’ charge against [Mr Harrath]"
Read the Press Release here
The Judgment can be found here
Mr Harrath is represented by Adam Tudor and Moritz Schirmeister
Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year
Nigel Tait has been awarded the accolade of Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year, Defamation (London).
BBC broadcasts full apology and pays substantial libel damages to Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin
The BBC has apologised and paid very substantial libel damages to Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin (one of the founding members of the Muslim Council of Britain and a past Chairman of the charity Muslim Aid) over false allegations that Mr Mueen-Uddin had advocated the lynching of Salman Rushdie during the infamous “Satanic Verses” affair.
Click here to read the published apology
Click here to listen to the broadcast apology
A full Press Release can be read here
Adam Tudor and Helena Shipman acted for Mr Mueen-Uddin
Law Society Gazette – “Lawyer in the News”
Carter-Ruck Partner Adam Tudor has been featured in the Law Society Gazette over the firm’s representation of the Mahmood family in their complaints against the Mail and Katie Hopkins.
Read the article here
Katie Hopkins and Mail apologise and Mail pays £150,000 to Mahmood family over “Disneyland” libels
MailOnline and its columnist Katie Hopkins have today published a full apology to the Mahmood family and the Mail has paid £150,000 in libel damages, as well as agreeing to pay their legal costs. Ms Hopkins has also apologised on Twitter to her 650,000 followers.
The complaint related to two articles written by Ms Hopkins and published by MailOnline in December 2015, following the refusal by the US authorities to allow a number of members of the Mahmood family, who are Muslims, to board a flight for the USA. The family were going on holiday and had planned a trip to Disneyland.
The Mahmood family are represented by Adam Tudor and Lawrence Northmore-Ball
Examples of media coverage of the story:
Jang group Chief Executive awarded £185,000 in libel damages following High Court trial
Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, the Group Chief Executive and Editor in Chief of the Jang group of companies, the largest media group in Pakistan, has been awarded £185,000 in libel damages by London’s High Court in respect of 24 libellous programmes broadcast by the Defendants, rival media company ARY Network Limited and its COO, Fayaz Ghafoor.
Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was represented by Alasdair Pepper, Antonia Foster, Helena Shipman and Victoria Anderson
The Judgment can be found here
Sunday Telegraph apologises and pays substantial libel damages over false extremism allegations
Ifhat Smith, a mother who brought to public attention her son’s treatment at school under the government’s "Prevent" (counter-terrorism) policy, has secured substantial damages, an apology and her legal costs from the Sunday Telegraph.
Ifhat Smith was represented by Claire Gill and Isabella Piasecka
Click here to read the apology
Settlement in “Heir Hunters” libel case
Philip Turvey, a joint Director of leading genealogical research company, Anglia Research Services Limited, has settled his libel claim against Finders Genealogists Limited (which operates as Finders International), and its Managing Director Daniel Curran.
A Press Release containing the parties’ joint statement can be found here.
Mr Turvey is represented by Adam Tudor and Dominic Garner.
