header-logo header-logo

15 July 2010 / Sarah Webb
Issue: 7426 / Categories: Opinion , ADR
printer mail-detail

Double trouble?

In the words of Marvin Gaye “It takes two” to love, to tango and, as we saw in the recent Isner and Mahut tennis match, to doggedly battle against each other for 11 hours. That performance on court was described as “epic”.

It takes two to litigate libel claims. Sarah Webb advocates taking an alternative approach

In the words of Marvin Gaye “It takes two” to love, to tango and, as we saw in the recent Isner and Mahut tennis match, to doggedly battle against each other for 11 hours. That performance on court was described as “epic”.

Spurious action

In contrast, the recent settlement of the claim by Matt Fiddes (bodyguard and close friend) of Michael Jackson against Channel 4 was described in the media recently as a “spurious libel action” and “obviously flawed from the outset”. Julian Bellamy, head of Channel 4, said that the case highlighted “the chilling effect exorbitant legal costs in CFAs (conditional fee agreements) —funded libel claims—have on broadcasting and freedom of expression. It is a damning indictment of

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

Fieldfisher partner appointed president as LSLA marks milestone year

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Firm promotes two lawyers to partnership across employment and family

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Firm promotes five lawyers to partnership across key growth areas

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
back-to-top-scroll