UK to review libel laws

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Britain, Long a Libel Mecca, Reviews Laws
By SARAH LYALL
Published: December 10, 2009

LONDON — England has long been a mecca for aggrieved people from around the world who want to sue for libel. Russian oligarchs, Saudi businessmen, multinational corporations, American celebrities — all have made their way to London’s courts, where jurisdiction is easy to obtain and libel laws are heavily weighted in favor of complainants.

Embarrassed by London’s reputation as “a town called sue” and by unusually stinging criticisms in American courts and legislatures, British lawmakers are seriously considering rewriting England’s 19th-century libel laws.

A member of the House of Lords is preparing a bill that would, among other things, require foreigners to demonstrate that they have suffered actual harm in England before they can sue here.

English libel law is the opposite of America’s in many ways. In the United States, the plaintiff, or accuser, must prove that the statement in question was false; public officials must also prove that it was made maliciously, with “reckless disregard” for the truth.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/world/europe/11libel.html

One notable case of bizarre libel lawsuit in the UK: in 2005 Roman Polanski sued Vanity Fair in British court and won. VF editor Graydon Carter remarked: "I find it amazing that a man who lives in France can sue a magazine that is published in America in a British courtroom." Of course, at the time Polanski was living in France to avoid extradition to the US over seducing that teenage girl.

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1. K&R Thanks for posting. nt