England and Wales Case Law

Nikoletta Read v Claudio di Giovanni & Ors

The claimant failed to meet the threshold for interim injunctive relief under s12(3) HRA for misuse of private information, libel, malicious falsehood, and harassment due to insufficient evidence of serious harm, lack of urgency, and delay. The bulk of any damage had already occurred, and there was no real risk of further harm pending trial. Therefore, the application for an interim injunction was refused.

Source excerpt

• Interim injunctions
• Libel
• Misuse of private information
• Malicious falsehood
• Harassment
• Delay

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Evangelos Marinakis v Eirini Karypidou & Ors

The High Court determined preliminary issues in a defamation claim about online posts, videos and billboards alleging serious criminality, and broadly accepted the claimant’s pleaded meanings.

• Libel
• Unlawful means conspiracy
• Meaning of publications
• Fact vs opinion
• Defamatory at common law
• Defamation

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Marinakis v Karypidou & Ors

Marinakis v Karypidou & Ors [2026] EWHC 1192 (KB) (20 May 2026)

High Court preliminary issues decision in a libel and unlawful means conspiracy claim over online publications alleging corruption, drug trafficking and match-fixing.

• Libel
• Unlawful means conspiracy
• Meaning of defamatory statements
• Fact vs opinion
• Defamatory at common law
• Hyperlink context

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Idowu Ogunkami v Cynthia Chia

The Court of Appeal dismissed a libel damages appeal, holding the claimant had not properly pleaded or proved foreign publication harm and that £25,000 was adequate.

• Damages assessment
• Default judgment
• Jurisdiction
• Foreign publication
• Double actionability
• Amendment of pleadings

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Guerrilla Marketing Ltd v NGM Advertising Limited

The court decided preliminary issues on meaning in a defamation claim over emails alleging a marketing rival had mis-sold advertising space and acted fraudulently.

• Libel
• Malicious falsehood
• Unlawful interference with economic interests
• Procuring breach of contract
• Meaning of publications
• Fact vs opinion

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Guerrilla Marketing Ltd v NGM Advertising Ltd & Ors

Guerrilla Marketing Ltd v NGM Advertising Ltd & Ors [2026] EWHC 1085 (KB) (08 May 2026)

Preliminary defamation issues over emails alleging a rival falsely sold advertising space on screens it did not own.

• Libel
• Malicious falsehood
• Unlawful interference with economic interests
• Procuring breach of contract
• Meaning of publications
• Fact vs opinion

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Kasima Whittingham v Sam Jones

The High Court struck out a libel claim after finding the pleaded case lacked reasonable grounds and could not be amended to show serious harm.

• Libel
• Serious harm requirement
• Strike out
• Summary judgment
• Pre-action protocol compliance
• Service of process

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Whittingham v Jones

Whittingham v Jones [2026] EWHC 979 (KB) (29 April 2026)

A libel claim over emails sent by a school headteacher was struck out because the pleaded case could not realistically prove serious harm under the Defamation Act 2013.

• Libel
• Serious harm requirement
• Strike out applications
• Summary judgment
• Service of proceedings
• Pre-action protocol compliance

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Judith Allison Pearson v Chief Constable of Essex Police & Anor

Preliminary defamation issues in a libel claim over Essex Police statements, an LBC interview, and an article about an investigation into Allison Pearson.

• Libel
• Meaning of words
• Defamatory tendency
• Police statements
• Freedom of expression
• Defamation

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Pearson v Chief Constable of Essex Police & Anor

Pearson v Chief Constable of Essex Police & Anor [2026] EWHC 961 (KB) (24 April 2026)

The High Court held that several police-related publications about Allison Pearson bore a Chase Level 3 defamatory meaning, while a later update was not defamatory.

• Libel
• Defamatory meaning
• Chase levels
• Police statements
• Freedom of speech
• Threshold of seriousness

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