Fergie's Tech Blog

UK: £10,000 Damages Awarded in Internet Libel Case

Via OUT-LAW.com.

A former parliamentary candidate for the UK Independence Party has been awarded £10,000 in damages after winning a defamation case. Michael Keith Smith had sued over postings in an internet chat room.

According to reports, Smith, who put himself forward for the Portsmouth North seat at the last election, was a participant in a discussion on the Iraq war, held on a discussion board run by Yahoo!. Another participant, Tracy Williams, had taken objection to his anti-war comments and, using an alias, had posted a series of defamatory remarks about Mr Smith.

These included calling him a racist and a sex offender, according to reports. Smith sued, obtained court orders enabling him to identify the person behind the remarks, and has now won a defamation action against Williams.

posted by Fergie @ 3/23/2006 09:28:00 AM