Dominic Regan delves into a selection of gems from the English Law Reports
Naomi Campbell has made a substantial contribution to English law and the mobile phone repair industry. I was captivated by the evidence adduced in Campbell v Frisbee [2002] EWHC 328 Ch.
The defendant was sued for having revealed confidential information about the claimant. Paragraph 8 of the transcript recites the tale of Miss Campbell having spent a night of passion with a famous actor in Berlin. They made love four or five times. When I recounted this impressive statistic to a female friend with a note of hope and optimism in my voice I was told, archly, that it was plainly a misprint. Oh well.
Some judicial statements are unfortunate. In Macdonald v Advocate General [2003], an important case about discrimination on the grounds of homosexuality, I did wonder whether Lord Nicholls might have been better advised not to start paragraph six of the decision with the bold statement: “I prefer to approach the matter from the other end.” Mmmm.
Piping up
While
