Ready, Fire, Aim! - Mihail's Public Blog: Libel suit against the Financial Times

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Friday, September 5, 2003

Libel suit against the Financial Times

Interesting differences amongst US and British law when it comes to libel lawsuits according to this New York Times story (registration required):

Whether The Financial Times, already hurt by an advertising slump, has to pay damages will depend on the courts. British libel laws are far stricter than those in the United States. The defendant must prove that what has been published is true. In the United States, a plaintiff in a typical libel case must prove that published reports are false, and that the publication knew they were false when it printed them. When plaintiffs bring cases to British courts, they often win.

In the United States, nearly all court documents that a reporter acquires legally about a company are fair to report on, while in Britain, newspapers must tread carefully. Thus, the success of the suit hinges on a judge's opinion of whether The Financial Times should have published Mr. Middleweek's 32-page report to the regulatory agency at all, lawyers said.

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