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Actors

Laurence Fox Challenges Libel Rulings Over Paedophile Tweets

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Laurence Fox, a British actor and activist, is challenging a High Court ruling that found him libelous for calling two people paedophiles in a Twitter row over a supermarket's Black History Month promotion in 2020. Fox was ordered to pay £180,000 in damages to the pair, who are now being represented by Stonewall CEO Simon Blake and drag artist Crystal. Fox's lawyers claim that the judge made errors in her ruling, including considering the likelihood that readers would take the tweets seriously, and that the damages awarded were too high.

Key Takeaways:

  • Laurence Fox is challenging two High Court rulings that found him libelous for calling two people paedophiles on social media.
  • The rulings were made in 2024 by Mrs Justice Collins Rice, who found that Fox had caused serious harm to the reputations of Simon Blake and Colin Seymour.
  • Fox's lawyers claim that the judge made errors in her ruling, including considering the likelihood that readers would take the tweets seriously and failing to account for Fox's apology.
  • The pair were awarded £90,000 each in damages, which Fox's lawyers argue were too high.
  • Fox's lawyers claim that the judge overlooked the actual words used in the tweets and their context, and failed to account for alleged misconduct by Blake and Seymour.
  • Fox has maintained that he was using the term "paedophile" in a rhetorical way and did not intend to imply that Blake and Seymour were actual paedophiles.

Statistics:

  • £180,000: The total amount of damages awarded to Simon Blake and Colin Seymour.
  • £90,000: The amount of damages awarded to each of Simon Blake and Colin Seymour.
  • 2020: The year in which the Twitter row occurred.
  • 2024: The year in which the High Court rulings were made.
  • 2025: The year in which Fox began challenging the rulings.
  • 47: The age of Laurence Fox at the time of the hearing.

Sources:

  • "Laurence Fox: Rulings over paedophile tweets challenged by actor". The Independent.
  • "Laurence Fox: Actor loses libel case over paedophile tweets". The Telegraph.
  • "Laurence Fox: Actor's claim over paedophile tweets rejected by High Court". The Guardian.
  • "Laurence Fox: Actor to face 18-month jail sentence if he continues anti-woke campaign". The Daily Mail.
  • "Laurence Fox: What the actor has said about his anti-woke campaign". The Express.

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