A libel claim brought against local publisher Mill Media over an investigation into entrepreneur Claudio De Giovanni was thrown out after a High Court judge ruled that parallel legal actions against reporter Cormac Kehoe amounted to an “abuse of process” intended to pressure journalists and suppress reporting. The court found De Giovanni had improperly pursued both County Court and High Court claims over an article alleging exploitative property practices, with the judge criticising procedural failures and an inflated default judgment against Kehoe. The case was condemned as a SLAPP by Mill Media, which says it still faces around £40,000 in legal costs despite winning. Doughty Street Chambers covered the judgement. The Press Gazette has more information.
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by author Michael Wolff that aimed to stop Melania Trump from pursuing a potential $1 billion defamation case over comments he made linking her to issues surrounding Jeffrey Epstein. Wolff had asked the court to rule in advance that his remarks were not defamatory and that Trump should be liable for legal costs if she sued him. However, the judge dismissed the case, calling it a procedurally improper and “contorted” attempt to pre-empt litigation, and criticised Wolff for “tactical gamesmanship” and forum shopping after he filed under anti-SLAPP laws. The Guardian, AP, NBC and The Hill covered the ruling.
The Socially Aware blog has a post about the application of section 230 to generative AI. Section 230 protects online platforms from liability in relation to content published by users. The article examines whether the output of AI models falls within the definition of “information provided by another information content provider” under section 230.
Farrer & Co has an article on the recent High Court decision in Whittingham v Jones, in which a parent sued the headteacher of their child’s school for libel in relation to two emails he had sent to the governors saying that she threatened and intimidated staff.
DLA Piper’s Privacy Matters blog has a summary of the legislative agenda set out in the King’s Speech.
Internet and Social Media
The ICO published a statement on age assurance, stating that it does “not yet have confidence that appropriate measures are being put in place,” to prevent children from accessing certain services online. The Regulator warns that it will “use the full range of regulatory powers available” including “formal investigations and sanctions” unless platforms implement effective age assurance measures.
Data privacy and data protection
The ICO has secured a confiscation order of more than £355,000 against former Manchester insurance worker Rizwan Manjra after he admitted unlawfully accessing personal information on his employer’s computer systems for financial gain. The order, granted under the Proceeds of Crime Act at Manchester Crown Court, follows his earlier conviction under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and a suspended prison sentence issued in 2024.
The ICO also fined Glasgow-based Energy Prices Direct Limited £160,000 after the company made more than 700,000 unsolicited marketing calls. Investigators found staff sometimes failed to identify the company during calls or denied making sales pitches, while the firm also used purchased contact data without checking whether numbers were protected against marketing calls and, in some cases, could not identify where the data had originated.
Newspaper Journalism and regulation
IPSO criticised Reach plc’s local news site Cornwall Live for showing a “lack of sympathy” after publishing details in a court report that could have identified a sexual assault victim, according to Press Gazette. Although the outlet argued the victim could not be identified and later offered to amend or remove the article, IPSO ruled the report breached both anonymity protections for sexual assault victims and privacy rules, noting the publication failed to acknowledge the harm caused. Cornwall Live was ordered to publish an adjudication prominently on its homepage for 24 hours.
Copyright and Intellectual Property
Mishcon de Reya has an article examining the CJEU’s decision in the Pelham II case that “pastiche” in copyright law only applies where a new work clearly references an existing one while remaining recognisably different and engaging in a creative or artistic dialogue. The judgment suggests AI-generated content that merely imitates or substitutes original works is unlikely to qualify for a pastiche defence.
IPSO
- 01575-25 A man v cornwalllive.com, 11 Victims of sexual assault, 2 Privacy, 4 Intrusion into grief or shock, Breach – sanction: publication of adjudication
- 00877-26 Whiddett v edp24.co.uk, 2 Privacy, 9 Reporting of crime, No breach – after investigation
- Resolution Statement 06123-25 Right to Life UK v thenational.scot, 1 Accuracy, Resolved – IPSO mediation
- 06296-25 Moshelian v The National, 1 Accuracy, No breach – after investigation
- Resolution Statement 06482-25 Loader v Daily Mail, 1 Accuracy, 2 Privacy, 3 Harassment, 9 Reporting of crime, Resolved – IPSO mediation
Statements in open court and apologies
We are not aware of any Statements in Open Court or Apologies from the last week.
New Issued cases
There was one new issued defamation (libel and slander) case on the media and communications list last week.
Last week in the courts
On Monday 18 May 2026, Linden J handed down judgement on costs in the case of Lodhia v Twelve Trees Management Company (Bromley-By-Bow) Ltd & Ors [2026] EWHC 1177 (KB). The claimant, a litigant in person, had sued the defendant for defamation in May 2025 in relation to a newsletter which he alleged accused him of dishonesty. The defendants applied for summary judgement in July 2025, which the claimant resisted for six months, until he amended his particulars of claim to concede the application in full and discontinued the claim. The Solicitors Journal and TMC Legal covered the ruling. The court ruled that the usual costs rules applied, meaning the discontinuing claimant bears the defendant’s costs. Linden J rejected arguments that the defendants’ behaviour displaced this presumption and ordered the claimant to pay the defendants’ costs on the standard basis.
On Tuesday 19 May 2026, there was a hearing in CTY v Google KB-2026-000912.
On Wednesday 20 May 2026, the Court of Appeal heard the appeal in the case of Bridgen v Hancock. The defendant, former health secretary Matt Hancock appealed against Collins Rice J’s decision to refuse his application to summarily dismiss ex-Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen’s defamation claim over a 2023 tweet. Hancock argued the claim should be dismissed because his tweet, which the High Court found expressed the opinion that Bridgen had posted anti-Semitic material, was honest opinion. However, the High Court ruled there were factual issues still requiring a full trial. 5RB has a summary of the case.
On the same day, Johnson J handed down judgement on preliminary issues in the case of Marinakis v Karypidou & Ors [2026] EWHC 1192 (KB). Nottingham Forest FC owner, Evangelos Marinakis, brought a libel and unlawful conspiracy claim against the defendants, a chairperson of a Greek football club and two political consultancies, over an alleged anonymous campaign targeting football fans through articles, videos, social media posts and mobile billboards published between 2023 and 2024. Johnson J held that all 17 publications were defamatory of the claimant at common law and were all statements of fact, except the repeated assertion that the claimant’s actions were “hypocritical and cynical.” A ten-day trial has been set for March 2027. The Independent covered the ruling.
There was an application hearing before Steyn J in the defamation case of Picker v TEW KB-2023-003201 and a PTR in Chanel Ltd v Skeen KB-2024-002470.
On Thursday 21 May 2026, there was a pre-action disclosure hearing before Tipples J in the defamation case of Amersi v BBC KB-2022-003244. On the same day, there was anonymity and jurisdiction application in BHJ v Refinitiv Ltd KB-2025-002016.
On Friday 22 May 2026, there was a renewal hearing for permission to appeal before Heather Williams J in the defamation case of Kofoworola v Kerr and others KA-2025-000220.
Media law in other jurisdictions
Australia
On 20 May 2026, the Supreme Court of Tasmania dismissed the plaintiffs’ application to amend the statement of claim to add a new imputation in the case of Thode v Hack [2026] TASSC 20. The court rejected the argument that the application was an abuse of process, however it refused the application on the basis that the proposed new defamatory imputation was not “substantially the same as those particularised in the concerns notice.”
Czech Republic
Thousands of protesters have demonstrated against a government proposal to scrap public broadcasting licence fees and move funding for state media into the national budget, amid fears the change would undermine press freedom and editorial independence. The legislation, introduced by the government and backed by far-right coalition allies, has triggered weeks of nationwide protests, with journalists, students and civil society groups calling for the bill to be withdrawn. The International Federation of Journalists has more information.
Iran
NetBlocks reports that internet shutdowns and restrictions in Iran have now lasted more than 80 days and pro-government messaging has surged across social media platforms. According to the group, some Iranians seeking access to higher-tier or less restricted internet services were allegedly required to post regime-supporting content online each day, with compliance reportedly monitored through AI-powered systems.
Lebanon
The brief detention of Lebanese animal rights activist Ghina Nahfawi after she refused to delete a video allegedly showing a dog being dragged behind a car has sparked outrage in Lebanon. Nahfawi was arrested following a defamation complaint filed by the cleric she identified in the footage but was later released after agreeing to disable comments on her social media posts. Al-Monitor and L’Orient Today have more information.
Malaysia
Malaysia’s communications regulator has ordered TikTok to remove and address allegedly defamatory and offensive content targeting King Sultan Ibrahim, including AI-generated videos and manipulated images. Authorities criticised the platform’s moderation efforts as inadequate, demanding stronger safeguards along with an explanation for failing to block harmful posts. Al Jazeera, Reuters and The Independent covered the development.
Sierra Leone
Lawyers, activists and opposition figures have called for the release of singer and reality TV personality Zainab Sheriff after she was sentenced to more than four years in prison for incitement and threatening language linked to a political speech made at a January rally. Prosecutors alleged that Sheriff stated at a rally that anyone who manipulated an election had stolen the public’s vote, committed treason, and deserved to be killed along with their families. Supporters argue her prosecution reflects a broader crackdown on free speech and dissent. The Guardian covered the story.
United States
A University of Michigan student has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the university and private investigators of illegally surveilling, harassing and retaliating against him over his pro-Palestinian activism linked to Gaza protests. The plaintiff alleges investigators stalked and intimidated him, falsified police reports, manipulated evidence and violated his constitutional rights to free expression and privacy through unlawful arrests and access to his personal accounts, causing severe psychological distress. The Guardian and The Detroit News have more information.
Texas’s Attorney General has sued WhatsApp and its parent company, Meta, accusing them of misleading users about the privacy and security of WhatsApp’s encryption in breach of the state’s consumer protection laws. The lawsuit claims the companies falsely marketed the app as fully secure while allegedly retaining access to large amounts of private user communications. Meta denies the allegations, insisting WhatsApp messages remain end-to-end encrypted and inaccessible to the company. Reuters covered the story.
Research and Resources
- Christakis and Swire, The Day the Provider Stopped Reading Your Chats: WhatsApp Introduces Encrypted Chats with Meta AI (2026) AI Regulation Papers, 26-05-4.
- William Hyland, ‘It Ends With A Lawsuit’: Blake Lively V. Justin Baldoni A Mock Trial: Sexual Harassment And Defamation
- Michael Wachukwu, A Critique of the Legality, Necessity and Proportionality of Criminalization of “Disinformation” vis-à-vis Freedom of Information and Expression under National Digital Laws and International Norms
- Courtney Jones, A Socio-Legal Analysis of UK Law’s Adequacy in Preventing AI Sexual Abuse through the use of Nudification Tools
Next week in the courts
We are not aware of any cases listed in the Media and Communications List this week during the vacation.
Reserved judgements
Bridgen v Hancock, heard 20 May 2026 (King, Warby and Whipple LJJ)
Vince v Tice, heard 14 May 2026 (Lewison, Coulson and Warby LJJ)
Baroness Lawrence & ors v ANL, heard 19 January – 31 March 2026 (Nicklin J)
This Round Up was compiled by Jasleen Chaggar who is the Senior Legal and Policy Officer at Big Brother Watch.