November 30th, 2012
A blogger sued for libel by a Tanzanian media tycoon won her case today (30 November). At the High Court in London, Mr Justice Bean ruled in favour of Sarah Hermitage, who used her Silverdale Farm blog to criticise Reginald Mengi, Executive Chairman of IPP Ltd — a company with significant media interests in Tanzania.
Hermitage and her husband Stuart Middleton were driven from Silverdale Farm in Tanzania by threats and harassment. The court heard Megni’s brother Benjamin took possession of the farm following their departure. A defining factor in the ruling was the hostile coverage of Silverdale Farm by the IPP-owned newspapers. Mengi was ordered to pay £1.2million towards Hermitage’s legal costs.
Hermitage said today:
I set up my Silverdale Farm blog in 2009 to document our horrific experience in Tanzania, and to expose as a warning for others the corruption we encountered and our helplessness with no protection from the local Courts and officials.
To find myself then sued for libel in my own country, facing a claim of legal costs of £300,000 from Mr Mengi before the proceedings had even started, was itself frightening and oppressive.
October 9th, 2012
The UK government’s Defamation Bill goes to the House of Lords for its second reading debate today. Michael Harris explains why it’s vital that the government acts to protect free speech
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Tags: Tags: David Cameron, defamation, Ed Miliband, House of Lords, law, libel reform, libel tourism, Nick Clegg, Parliament, public interest,
March 5th, 2012
A former New Zealand cricketer is suing a former Indian Premier League boss over a
Twitter posting at the High Court today. Chris Cairns is taking action against Lalit Modi following a Tweet from January 2010 which alleged Cairns was involved in match fixing. The case is being heard in London, despite the the claim only 35 readers of the post were from England and Wales.
October 14th, 2011
A
Russian property developer who was punched during a talkshow, is suing for libel in England after his
assailant, fellow Russian tycoon
Alexander Lebedev said he deserved the beating. Sergei Polonsky is suing Lebedev, owner of the Independent and London Evening Standard for defamation following their
altercation in September. Lebedev told the
BBC that Polonsky had insulted him for 90 minutes. Criminal proceedings for assault have begun in Russia.
May 26th, 2011
A US-based billionaire is using English courts to force American online publishers to expose the identity of users. Judith Townend reports
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August 17th, 2010
Conrad Black has been given clearance to sue six former colleagues for
libel in Canada. The defendants, who include Hollinger International Inc directors and a vice-president, are based in the US. But the Ontario Superior Court of Justice
ruled that the former press baron could sue them for libel in Ontario because he built his reputation there.
July 28th, 2010
The US Congress has approved a bill aimed at protecting US writers from libel tourists using English courts to pursue defamation claims. The SPEECH (Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage) Act now goes to President Obama to be signed into law.
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July 20th, 2010
The US senate last night passed legislation to protect US journalists, writers and publishers from “libel tourists” — litigants who sue Americans in foreign jurisdictions which place a lower emphasis on free speech
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