The claimant US law firm claimed in defamation after receiving an abusive review on an internet service maintained by Google. The defendant denied responsibility for the posting which had been made through his account, and said that had he been told earlier, the posting would have been removed immediately, reducing any possible damage. No reliance was placed on publication in England and Wales.
Held: The overwhelming likelihood was that the defendant was the poster. Damages were awarded: ‘The publication was calculated to cause serious harm to the Claimants and, in particular, to Mr Bussey’s personal reputation and to his legal practice. It is likely to have been read by a significant number of searchers and, in particular, by potential clients checking them out.’ Sir David Eady assessed damages for the law firm ‘conservatively, at andpound;25,000’.
Sir David Eady
[2015] EWHC 563 (QB)
Bailii
Cited by:
Cited – Brett Wilson Llp v Person(s) Unknown, Responsible for The Operation and Publication of The Website www.solicitorsfromhelluk.com QBD 16-Sep-2015
The claimant solicitors sought remedies against the unknown publishers of the respondent website which was said to publish material defamatory of them, and to ampunt to harassment.
Held: The alleged defamatory meanings were not challenged by . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Defamation, Damages
Updated: 28 December 2021; Ref: scu.543932