Celebrity injunction battle over sexual misconduct allegations, Digi Mart USA News (United Kingdom): A well-known celebrity could be named after losing his legal fight to permanently block the publication of allegations that he used his “power and status” to exploit young women for sex.
The man will remain anonymous under reporting restrictions that stay in place until the allegations are published by the Guardian and ITN, the defendants in the case. The celebrity had until 4.30pm to lodge an appeal, but court staff confirmed that neither a notice of appeal nor a request for further time had been filed by his lawyers.
During the High Court case, the media organizations argued that it was in the public interest to publish allegations that the man abused his status to engage, or attempt to engage, in “inappropriate sexual activities” with a large number of girls and women. Court documents show the allegations include “potential criminal activity.” The man, who denies the allegations, said any publication would be “highly likely” to lead him to kill himself and asked the court to prevent publication or broadcast.
Mr Justice Nicklin, the High Court judge, said in his ruling last week that the evidence presented did “not establish that suicide is an inevitable consequence of publication.” He also said an injunction would constitute “an exceptionally serious interference” with the rights of media companies to publish the results of their investigations into serious wrongdoing by a prominent individual, and would prevent sources from communicating their experiences to the public.
The judge dismissed the celebrity’s claims but stressed that the court did not determine whether the allegations, or any of them, were true. He added that dismissing the claim does not amount to approval of any publication the defendants may decide to make.
The injunction sought to block the Guardian and ITN from publishing material featuring the allegations, including a documentary and several articles, on which journalists began investigative work in 2022. During last week’s application for a permanent injunction, Sara Mansoori KC, representing the celebrity, said her client is “in a highly vulnerable position” and that making the allegations public would have a “potentially fatal impact.”
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