The last term of the legal year, Trinity, runs from tomorrow, Tuesday 3 June to Thursday 31 July 2014. In this post* we preview the media law trials and appeals due to be heard this term.
Trials
On 23 June 2014, there is a 3 day judge alone libel trial listed in the case of Ansari v Knowles. The case concerns a document which has become known as the “Vilnius Memo” concerning the claimant, an academic at Manchester Metropolitan University. The background to the case is set out in the judgment of the Court of Appeal which refused to strike out the claim on Jameel grounds ([2013] EWCA Civ 1448).
On 21 July 2014, there is a 7 day libel jury trial listed in the case of Garcia v Associated Newspapers Limited. This is a claim by a Spanish doctor, based in Hastings, over a claim in a column written by former Sun editor and Mail columnist Kelvin MacKenzie published in the Daily Mail on 21 April 2012 that a misdiagnosis by him had led to a “living hell” for a patient. The background is set out in a report in the Press Gazette. If it takes place, this will be the first libel jury trial since Boyle v MGN in October 2012 and only the third since 2009. [Update: The parties have now agreed that this will be a trial by judge alone]
On 21 July 2014, there is a one day privacy trial listed in the case of NNN v Ryan. This was an action commenced on 8 March 2013, when Tugendhat J granted a without notice privacy injunction. The injunction was renewed by Sharp J who gave a judgment dated 20 March 2013 ([2013] EWHC 637 (QB)). The claimant contended at the time of the injunction application that the case was one of blackmail, with a threat to disclose a recording of personal, private and confidential conversation.
Appeals
There are two media law appeals listed in the Court of Appeal this term.
The first is in the case of PNM v Times Newspapers Limited & Ors. The appeal is listed on 17 or 18 June 2014 with a time estimate of one day. This is an appeal against an order of Tugendhat J dated 22 October 2013 by which he dismissed the claimant’s application for an interim injunction to prevent the publication of information suggesting that the claimant had been suspected of a serious sexual offence. The first instance judgment can be found at [2013] EWHC 3177 (QB).
Secondly, there is an appeal in the case of Flood v Times Newspapers Limited . This appeal is listed on 8 or 9 July 2014 with a time estimate of 4 hours. This is an appeal against the order of Nicola Davies J in this well known case (which went to the Supreme Court on the “Reynolds defence” issue [2012] UKSC 11). Following a ruling of Tugendhat J on meaning ([2013] EWHC 2182 (QB)) the only issue was damages. Nicola Davies J awarded the claimant £60,000 ([2013] EWHC 4075 (QB)).
Other Hearings
[Update] On 11 June 2014 there will be a Case Management Conference before Mann J in the managed Mirror Group hacking claims (of which there are currently 20 issued).
There will be a Case Management Conference in the Mobile Telephone Voicemail Interception before the Managing Judge, Mann J on 4 July 2014. The trial is due to begin in October 2014.
Please let us know if there are any hearings which should be added to this preview.
*Inforrm would like to thank Benjamin Pell for his assistance in preparing this preview.
Reblogged this on Ace News Desk 2014 and commented:
#AND2014
I would like Mr Benjamin Pell’s email address. Can anybody help me out?? My email is daniel@tab-legal.com if anybody has information that would be good.