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Defamation

How we can help

The rules of libel and slander (defamation) are the main legal tool available to prevent critical media coverage.  If you think that you or your company are going to be the subject of adverse publicity, then you need to know the legal options.  The intervention of lawyers on your behalf pre-publication will alter the way that the media outlet approaches the story.  We know which buttons to press to make them think twice.

After publication, the threat of a defamation claim may result in the immediate apology which you need to reassure your stakeholders and restore your reputation.  Leaving a bad story on the record without challenge means it is likely to be repeated in the future, perhaps every time you receive any publicity.

We cannot talk publicly about the work we do pre-publication for corporate and individual clients, for obvious reasons.  Some of our recent work assisting clients to restore their reputation after the event includes:

• acting for Dr Matthias Rath in successful libel proceedings against the British Medical Journal (BMJ), achieving a record award of damages under the offer of amends procedure
• acting for Yoko Ono in obtaining rapid apologies and damages from The Sun, The Guardian, Reuters, Press Association and Agence France-Presse in relation to a defamatory story.