Turley v UNITE the Union & Anor [2019] EWHC 3547 (QB) (19 December 2019)

Turley v UNITE the Union & Anor [2019] EWHC 3547 (QB) (19 December 2019)

The Article published by the Defendants bore a defamatory meaning that the Claimant had acted dishonestly and fraudulently in joining Unite Community, and this caused serious harm to her reputation. The Defendants failed to establish the truth of the defamatory imputations and could not rely on the public interest defence. The First Defendant was liable for the Press Statement given to the Second Defendant. The Claimant was entitled to damages for libel. The non-libel claims were resolved by agreement.

Citation
[2019] EWHC 3547 (QB)
Parties
Claimant: Anna Turley; First Defendant: Unite the Union; Second Defendant: Stephen Walker
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Judgment Date
19 December 2019
Procedural Posture
Civil Defamation and Related Claims / Judgment After Trial
Outcome
Judgment for the Claimant on the libel claim; non-libel claims resolved by agreement.
Legal Topics
Libel, Misuse of Private Information, Breach of Confidence, Data Protection Act 1998, Serious Harm, Truth Defence, Public Interest Defence, Abuse of Process, Damages
Defamation Media Law Data Protection Privacy Libel Misuse of Private Information Breach of Confidence Data Protection Act 1998 +5 more

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Parties

Anna Turley

Claimant

Unite the Union

First Defendant

Stephen Walker

Second Defendant

Procedural Posture

Civil Defamation and Related Claims / Judgment After Trial

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether the publication of the Article by the Defendants defamed the Claimant
  2. 2 Whether the Article caused or was likely to cause serious harm to the Claimant's reputation
  3. 3 Whether the Defendants could rely on the defences of truth and/or public interest

Ratio Decidendi

The Article published by the Defendants bore a defamatory meaning that the Claimant had acted dishonestly and fraudulently in joining Unite Community, and this caused serious harm to her reputation. The Defendants failed to establish the truth of the defamatory imputations and could not rely on the public interest defence. The First Defendant was liable for the Press Statement given to the Second Defendant. The Claimant was entitled to damages for libel. The non-libel claims were resolved by agreement.

Court Disposition

Judgment for the Claimant on the libel claim; non-libel claims resolved by agreement.

Orders

  • First Defendant to pay the Claimant £2,000 in damages for non-libel claims as agreed.
  • Damages awarded to the Claimant for libel (amount not specified in the provided text).