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John v. MGN Ltd.
England and Wales Court of Appeal, Civil Division
[1997] Q.B. 586 (1997)
- Written by Sarah Holley, JD
Facts
Elton John (plaintiff) brought suit against MGN Ltd. (defendant) for the tort of libel after MGN published an article that John alleged had claimed he was seen at a party in Los Angeles—that he had not in fact attended—eating food and spitting it out without swallowing in the name of his “don’t swallow and get thin diet.” Tony Brenna, who authored the article based on one reliable source, did not attend the party in question or otherwise cross-check the information contained in the article. The jury awarded John £350,000 in damages, comprising £75,000 compensatory damages and §275,000 exemplary damages. MGN appealed, arguing the award of damages was excessive.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning ()
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