Freelance UK - News Sponsorship
	Freelance UK Money Club  Mortgages - Income Protection - Retirement Planning - Life Cover  No consultation fees, no pressure, just free, impartial advice from  specialist IFA FreelancerMoney.

Hollywood stars 'flock to UK for libel'

An unprecedented number of US celebrities are using British courts to bring libel actions because UK legislation promises a greater chance of success.

Figures from Sweet & Maxwell reportedly show that 19 libel cases between Hollywood types and newspapers came to British courts in the 12 months to May 2007 – three times the number two years ago.

Obtained by The Independent, the legal groups’ figures highlight US stars including Kate Hudson, Cameron Diaz and Vince Vaughn as having brought or threatening to bring libel actions in the UK.

But Dan Tench, of law firm Olswang, hinted to the paper that privacy lawsuits brought by Naomi Campbell and Princess Carline of Monaco to British courts no longer act as a beacon.

He said: “Although these cases did bring about a higher level of privacy protection, they did not open the floodgates of litigation, so journalists’ confidence in what they can report is growing again.”

Moreover,a House of Lords ruling in October last year gave British journalists the all-clear to publish allegations, which may later emerge as false, about celebrities without repercussions from libel laws.

However, British courts will still consider the right to freedom of expression carefully against the right to reputation, whereas in the US it is part of the consitution, and claimants must prove malice to be successful.

Aug 3, 2007
Email this article
Printer friendly page

Previous Page