Case law

UK judgments on business defamation and financial loss

Records are tiered by authority. Tier A is a substantive High Court or appellate judgment engaging with quantum or serious financial loss. Every record shows whether it has been checked against the primary source; unverified records never contribute a figure to any loss model.

Cases won
22
With a court figure
2
Sectors covered
16

The database holds judgments in which the claimant succeeded. Only records carrying a court-accepted loss figure feed the loss model. 41,699 further judgments are in the analysis queue.

22 records

Dale Vince v Associated Newspapers Limited

Citation not recorded · Court not recorded · 2026

Tier E AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

The Court of Appeal allowed the appeal of businessman Dale Vince, setting aside the striking out of his claim for unfair processing of personal data under the UK GDPR. The Claimant's prior defamation claim had been struck out under the Charleston principle because the text of the article clarified he was not the 'sex pest' donor. However, the Court of Appeal held that the misleading juxtaposition of a headline about a 'sex pest' next to his photograph was unfair processing. The Defendant conceded it had no defense to the claim for material harm consisting of £903.50 in solicitor mitigation fees, resulting in summary judgment on liability for the Claimant with damages to be assessed.

Sector
Business
Platform
Print and online newspapers (Daily Mail and Mail+)
Serious financial loss
Not considered
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Ovik Mktrchyan v 2Trom Media Group Ltd

Citation not recorded · Court not recorded · 2026

Tier C AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Defamation action brought by individual claimant Ovik Mktrchyan against the owners of 'The London Post' website for articles accusing him of orchestrating an Uzbekistani corruption network. Following default judgment, Fordham J assessed damages. The Claimant established serious harm under s.1(1) by showing that his affiliated investment companies (GLL, GIL) and family members had banking facilities terminated or refused in close temporal proximity to the publication. The court awarded £105,000 in general and aggravated damages, granted an injunction, and ordered a s.12 summary of judgment to be published.

Sector
Finance / Investment
Platform
The London Post website and its affiliated social media accounts
Serious financial loss
Not considered
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Titan Wealth Holdings Limited & Ors v Marian Atinuke Okunola

Citation not recorded · Court not recorded · 2025

Tier E AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

An application by the claimants to activate a suspended six-month prison sentence against a former employee for contempt of court. The defendant breached conditions requiring her to deliver up and preserve relevant documents. Finding her culpability high, and noting she had already been ordered to pay eighty thousand pounds in damages in the main action, Mr Justice Kerr activated the sentence, ordering immediate custody.

Sector
Asset Management
Platform
Personal devices, email, and cloud storage
Serious financial loss
Not considered
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Simon Schofield v Politicalite Limited & Anor

Citation not recorded · Court not recorded · 2024

Tier C AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Simon Schofield, a West End theatrical producer and actor, brought a default judgment claim in libel, malicious falsehood, and misuse of private information against Politicalite Ltd and its director. The defamatory article falsely accused him of grooming children. The claimant established that the article caused substantial financial losses, including a £55,000 loss of funding from Live Nation and a lost $4,000 contract with Celebrity Cruises. The court accepted these losses were caused by the publication and awarded a global sum of £90,000 in compensatory damages, along with injunctive relief, a s.12 Defamation Act order, and costs.

Sector
Theatre and Performing Arts
Platform
Website and Twitter/X
Serious financial loss
Not considered
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Claire Stephenson v Paymaster (1836) Ltd (t/a Equitini)

Citation not recorded · Court not recorded · 2023

Tier E AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

A costs assessment dispute following a settled data protection and misuse of private information claim. The claimant settled for 2000 but sought recovery of her After the Event (ATE) insurance premium under a statutory exception for misuse of private information. The court held that the MPI claim was spurious, added nothing to the core data protection breach, and was artificially 'tacked on' for costs benefits, meaning the premium was irrecoverable.

Sector
Pensions and Financial Services Administration
Platform
Postal Mail
Serious financial loss
Not considered
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Sean Price v Newsquest Media Group Limited

Citation not recorded · Court not recorded · 2023

Tier E AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

The Claimant, a former Chief Constable of Cleveland Police, sued Newsquest Media Group Limited over two articles published in print and online in April 2022. The articles stated that the Cleveland Police force had been beset by scandals, listing in a single paragraph that the Claimant was sacked for gross misconduct in 2012, that officers were investigated for unlawfully monitoring journalists' phones, and that there were claims of racism. At a preliminary trial on meaning, the High Court held that the natural and ordinary meaning of the words was that the Claimant was sacked for gross misconduct and was in some way implicated in the unlawful phone monitoring and the long-standing racism. This meaning was ruled defamatory at common law.

Sector
Public sector
Platform
Print and online newspaper
Serious financial loss
Not considered
Damages recorded
Not recorded

EBIN Europe Ltd v Shin

[2023] EWHC 1993 (KB) · High Court (KB) · 2023

Tier B AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Corporate claimant; competitor publication and commercial falsehood.

Sector
Consumer goods
Platform
Online
Serious financial loss
Unknown
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Frati v Bowen-Carter

[2022] EWHC 1225 (QB) · High Court (QB) · 2022

Tier A AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Cosmetic surgeon; online reviews and social media publication by a former patient.

Sector
Medical
Platform
Online
Serious financial loss
Unknown
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Samherji-related commercial falsehood litigation

Multiple proceedings · High Court · 2022

Tier C AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Commercial falsehood and reputation litigation involving corporate claimants.

Sector
Fisheries
Platform
Website
Serious financial loss
Unknown
Damages recorded
Not recorded

CF & L Ltd v Fraser

County Court · County Court · 2021

Tier C AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Company claimant; online customer review.

Sector
Other
Platform
Google
Serious financial loss
Unknown
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Summerfield Browne Ltd v Waymouth

[2021] EWHC 85 (QB) · High Court (QB) · 2021

Tier A Primary-source verified

Law firm claimant; single Trustpilot review by a former client; damages awarded.

Sector
Legal services
Platform
Trustpilot
Serious financial loss
Established
Damages recorded
£25,000

Signature Medical / Signature Clinic review litigation

Multiple proceedings · High Court · 2021

Tier C AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Clinic group; online patient reviews; several linked proceedings.

Sector
Medical
Platform
Google
Serious financial loss
Unknown
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Johnson v Helm

County Court · County Court · 2020

Tier C AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Small trader and former customer; social media publication.

Sector
Trades
Platform
Facebook
Serious financial loss
Unknown
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Gubarev v Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd

[2020] EWHC 2912 (QB) · High Court (QB) · 2020

Tier C AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Corporate claimant; publication and serious harm to commercial reputation.

Sector
Technology
Platform
Website
Serious financial loss
Unknown
Damages recorded
Not recorded

BW Legal Services Ltd v Trustpilot A/S

Disclosure proceedings · High Court · 2019

Tier D AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Platform proceedings concerning review publication and reviewer identity.

Sector
Legal services
Platform
Trustpilot
Serious financial loss
Unknown
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Alexander-Theodotou v Kounis

[2019] EWHC 956 (QB) · High Court (QB) · 2019

Tier C AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Professional claimant; online allegations by dissatisfied clients.

Sector
Legal services
Platform
Online
Serious financial loss
Unknown
Damages recorded
Not recorded

BW Legal Services Ltd v Glassdoor Inc

Norwich Pharmacal proceedings · High Court · 2019

Tier D AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Platform / disclosure proceedings concerning anonymous reviewers.

Sector
Legal services
Platform
Glassdoor
Serious financial loss
Unknown
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Davidoff v Google LLC

Disclosure proceedings · High Court · 2019

Tier D AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Platform disclosure proceedings concerning anonymous Google reviews.

Sector
Other
Platform
Google
Serious financial loss
Unknown
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Seventy Thirty Ltd v Burki

[2018] EWHC 2151 (QB) · High Court (QB) · 2018

Tier A AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Matchmaking company and former client; counterclaim; online reviews considered.

Sector
Matchmaking
Platform
Online
Serious financial loss
Unknown
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Pirtek (UK) Ltd v Jackson

[2018] EWHC 1004 (QB) · High Court (QB) · 2018

Tier B AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Corporate claimant; campaign of online publication by a former franchisee.

Sector
Industrial services
Platform
Website
Serious financial loss
Unknown
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Al-Ko Kober Ltd v Sambhi

[2017] EWHC 2474 (QB) · High Court (QB) · 2017

Tier B AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Manufacturer; malicious falsehood and defamation; online video publication.

Sector
Manufacturing
Platform
Youtube
Serious financial loss
Unknown
Damages recorded
Not recorded

Brett Wilson LLP v Persons Unknown

[2015] EWHC 2628 (QB) · High Court (QB) · 2015

Tier A AI cross-checked · not primary-source verified

Solicitors firm; anonymous online publication; default judgment and damages.

Sector
Legal services
Platform
Website
Serious financial loss
Established
Damages recorded
Not recorded