Class notes
Law 1051 Defamation lecture Notes
- Course
- Institution
This is a comprehensive and detailed note on defamation for Law 1051. Essential!!
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
anyiamgeorge19
Reviews received
Content preview
Lecture 17 – Defamation (Part I) What is Defamation?Introduction
It protects reputation.
Balance between freedom of speech and reputation? Clearer law?
Who Can Sue?
(a) Individuals – living not dead.
(b) Politicians, not political parties or government
Derbyshire CC v Times Newspapers [1993] A.C. 534
Facts: Derbyshire CC sought to sue The Times over articles questioning the propriety of its financial dealings.
Held: “It is of the highest public importance that a democratically elected governmental body, or indeed any
governmental body, should be open to uninhibited public criticism. The threat of a civil action for defamation
must inevitably have an inhibiting effect on freedom of speech.”
Goldsmith v Bhoyrul [1998] QB 459
Political parties could not sue, applied Derbyshire.
(c) Companies – and other legal persons.
South Hetton Coal Co v North-Eastern News Association [1894] 1 Q.B. 133
Facts: Co. Durham newspaper published an article saying that houses rented out by the
claimant were in an insanitary condition.
Held: The law of defamation was the same for all claimants and thus a company could sue if it would lead
people to think badly of their business.
McDonald’s Corp. v Steel and Morris (1997)
Facts:
313 days long. McDonald’s sued two campaigners for a fact sheet they written describing McDonald’s
practices.
High Court: The campaigners lost on some points, ordered to pay £60,000 damages.
Morris & Steel v UK [2005] EMLR 15
Companies have more money to bring an action which may reduce freedom of speech against them.
Chilling Effect on freedom of speech?
Jameel v Wall Street Journal Europe [2006] UKHL 44
Worries about companies being able to sue.
Lords acknowledge possible chilling effect.
Held damages should be nominal if no loss.
Held chilling effect of mere potential liability insufficient to infringe Art 10.
, Parliament took a different view:
S.1(2) DA 2013
“harm to the reputation of body that trades for profit is not “serious harm” unless it has caused or is likely to cause the
body serious financial loss.”
This protects freedom of speech as law is now stricter when it comes to allowing companies to sue in defamation.
BUT is this too easy to prove? Only need to show it was likely.
A New Law? Defamation Act 2013
Aims:
Rebalancing Reputation and Freedom of Speech.
Codify and clarify the common law.
Changed Utterly?
Balance of reputation and freedom of speech?
Increased protection for freedom of speech?
Clarity to the law?
Four Elements of a claim for Defamation
1) Is the statement defamatory?
2) Does it refer to the claimant?
3) Has it been published?
4) Do any of the Defences apply?
1. Is the Statement Defamatory?
General Definition of Defamatory Statement:
Sim v Stretch [1936] 2 All ER 1237
Would the words or statement “lower the claimant in the estimation of right-thinking members of society generally,”
causing them to be shunned or avoided?
The Act has added to this common law definition:
s.1(1) DA 2013
“A statement is not defamatory unless its publication has caused or is likely to cause serious harm to the reputation
of the claimant.”
(a) Who are the Right Thinking People?
Neither easily scandalised nor entirely impervious to being influenced in their opinions of a person.
Lewis v Daily Telegraph [1964] A.C. 234
Published that the Lewis’ company was being investigated by the fraud squad.
The normal person would not infer guilt just because there was an investigation so the statement was not
defamatory.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller anyiamgeorge19. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $10.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
79373 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now