Douglas v. Hello! Ltd
England and Wales Court of Appeal, Civil Division
EWCA Civ 595, QB 125 (2000)
- Written by Sarah Holley, JD
Facts
Prior to their wedding in November 2000, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones (plaintiffs) entered into a contract with OK! magazine (plaintiff) that granted OK! the exclusive right to publish approved photographs of the wedding for a fee. Douglas and Zeta-Jones undertook strict measures to prevent any other photographs from being taken at their wedding—no media were permitted to enter, all vendors were required to sign confidentiality agreements prohibiting the use of any cameras, and all guests were asked to refrain from using any cameras at the event. Despite these measures, however, a paparazzo infiltrated the wedding, and the resulting photographs were sold to and published in Hello! magazine’s (defendant) November 2000 edition. Following publication, Douglas, Zeta-Jones, and OK! brought suit against Hello! for breach of privacy and breach of confidence. Douglas, Zeta-Jones, and OK! obtained an injunction restraining Hello! until trial from publishing and further publishing the photographs of Douglas and Zeta-Jones at their wedding. Hello! appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Brooke, L.J.)
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