Oyston & Anor v Ragozzino [2015] EWHC 3232 (QB) (09 November 2015)

Oyston & Anor v Ragozzino [2015] EWHC 3232 (QB) (09 November 2015)

The court awarded substantial damages to the individual claimants for serious and malicious defamatory statements published online, with reductions for prior bad reputation where relevant, and awarded modest damages to the corporate claimant for reputational harm in the absence of proven financial loss. Aggravated...

Source-derived case information.

Citation
[2015] EWHC 3232
Parties
Claimant: Karl Samuel Oyston; Claimant: John Owen Oyston; Claimant: Blackpool Football Club Limited; Defendant: David Richard Ragozzino
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Judgment Date
09 November 2015
Procedural Posture
Defamation and Malicious Falsehood / Assessment of Damages Following Default and Consent Judgment
Outcome
Damages assessed and awarded to claimants; anonymisation order made regarding third-party names.
Legal Topics
Defamation, Malicious Falsehood, Damages, Aggravated Damages, Corporate Reputation, Publication on Internet, Consent Judgment
Defamation Tort Malicious Falsehood Damages Aggravated Damages Corporate Reputation Publication on Internet Consent Judgment

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Parties

Karl Samuel Oyston

Claimant

John Owen Oyston

Claimant

Blackpool Football Club Limited

Claimant

David Richard Ragozzino

Defendant

Procedural Posture

Defamation and Malicious Falsehood / Assessment of Damages Following Default and Consent Judgment

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Assessment of damages for defamatory statements published online against individuals and a company
  2. 2 Entitlement to aggravated damages for malice and conduct of proceedings
  3. 3 Impact of claimant's prior criminal convictions on damages

Ratio Decidendi

The court awarded substantial damages to the individual claimants for serious and malicious defamatory statements published online, with reductions for prior bad reputation where relevant, and awarded modest damages to the corporate claimant for reputational harm in the absence of proven financial loss. Aggravated damages were awarded to the individuals due to the defendant's malice and conduct.

Court Disposition

Damages assessed and awarded to claimants; anonymisation order made regarding third-party names.

Orders

  • Damages of £20,000 to Karl Oyston
  • Damages of £20,000 to Owen Oyston