The pursuers and reclaimers seek damages against the defenders on the ground that they have suffered loss, injury and damage by reason of the libellous and defamatory statements of the defenders and respondents. At the time that the statements were made the pursuers were enrolled solicitors and partners in a law firm, Gordon Thomson and Co. Damages are sought both for injury to their feelings and their reputation and for substantial financial loss including loss of their legal business and two related businesses. The defenders are, respectively, the individual who was President of the Law Society of Scotland at the relevant time (the first defender), the Law Society itself (the second defenders) and, as the fourth to ninth named individuals, those individuals who constituted the members of the Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal, which between October 1994 and April 1995 heard two complaints alleging professional misconduct concerning the pursuers’ law firm and the partners of it.
Held: Stateable cases having been presented, the case should be allowed to go ahead.
Judges:
Lord Cameron of Lochbroom, Lord Cameron of Lochbroom, Lord Dawson, Lord Wheatley
Citations:
[2000] ScotCS 264
Links:
Jurisdiction:
Scotland
Citing:
See Also – Gordon Coutts Thomson and Another v Council of Law Society of Scotland SCS 12-Mar-1999
The petitioner solicitors appealed against a decision striking them off for dishonesty. They said that the allegations of dishonesty had been withdrawn.
Held: The appeals succeeded, but since not all the allegations had been withdrawn the case . .
See Also – In Petition To the Nobile Officium By Gordon Coutts Thomson and Maria Teresa Thomson SCS 9-Jun-1999
First Division, Inner House. The petitioner solicitors had been dsiciplined by the Law Society of Scotland. Their appeal had been successful, but the court indicated that since it appeared that not all allegations of dishonesty had been withdrawn, . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Legal Professions, Defamation
Updated: 04 June 2022; Ref: scu.164004
