There has been previous comment here on the various stages of Banks v Cadwalladr, and the facts have been well-stated. However, there has so far been no comment on the substantive decision of the Court of Appeal in the case. This post aims to fill the gap. There is a lot going on in the Court of Appeal’s decision. It brings some clarity to novel issues like the judicial definition of SLAPPs, the meaning of ‘echo chamber’ for the purpose of s 1 of the 2013 Act, and the need to reassess serious harm once the public interest defence falls away. Continue reading