George Green LLP Announces Promotion of Family Law Solicitor Aimee Stokes to Partner
George Green LLP is delighted to announce the promotion of Aimee Stokes to partner, effective 1...
Defamation and reputation protection
In today’s fast-paced digital world, where a single untrue statement can spread to millions in a matter of moments, reputation is everything - for individuals, businesses and public figures alike. Whether you are a high-profile business leader, academic, politician or a household name, a reputation built over years can be suddenly undermined by defamatory words or false claims. At George Green, we have the expertise, experience and strategic insight to protect your reputation and recover damages for harm caused by defamatory or false allegations.
We regularly act for high-profile clients, including business leaders, politicians and professionals, in sensitive and complex defamation matters. Our reputation for fearlessly defending our clients in High Court litigation means that you can trust us to provide both expert legal advice and aggressive representation when you need it most.
Protecting your reputation
Defamation law is one of the most misunderstood areas of law. False or harmful statements can cause lasting damage to personal and professional reputations and, in today’s media landscape, can spread rapidly through traditional and social channels. It’s crucial to seek specialist advice immediately if you’re faced with defamatory statements, particularly given the potential harm.
Morgan Rees has built a formidable reputation for handling high-profile, high-value defamation cases involving prominent individuals and businesses. Morgan’s experience extends across libel, slander and privacy matters, often representing clients in landmark cases that attract public and media attention. With a long history of success in sensitive defamation litigation, our team can help you resolve disputes efficiently and securely.
We are also highly experienced in defending defamation claims, including cases where litigation is being used as a tactical weapon to suppress facts and opinions rather than a genuine attempt to vindicate reputation.
What is defamation?
Defamation occurs when false or misleading statements damage your reputation. These statements may take the form of libel (written statements, including online publications) or slander (spoken statements).
Libel
Libel relates to permanent defamatory statements, such as those made in newspapers, websites or broadcast media, that are likely to reach a wide audience. As these statements can have far-reaching consequences, we act swiftly to secure injunctions, remove harmful content, and prevent further damage. Our team has considerable experience in working with clients defamed by both local and national newspapers and online publications. If necessary, we can also seek damages for any financial losses caused by libellous publications.
Our work includes:
- Securing urgent injunctions
- Removing defamatory content
- Preventing repeat publication
- Advising on apologies and corrections
- Pursuing damages for reputational and financial loss
Slander
Although the spoken word is less tangible than libel, slander can still cause significant harm to both individuals and businesses. Slander cases often arise from false allegations that a business has gone bust or of criminal activity. These types of allegations can tarnish reputations and cause irreversible damage to commercial interests. Our solicitors are adept at dealing with sensitive slander claims, ensuring that we take swift and decisive action to protect your reputation.
The internet and social media
The internet and social media dramatically changed the landscape of defamation. Statements that may once have been private or made to a very small audience now travel around the world. False statements can spread instantly, and the damage they cause is often irreversible. Whether it's a defamatory review, a false blog post or malicious comments on social media, the internet has amplified the potential harm.
Our team has significant experience in managing defamation cases that involve the online world, helping businesses who have been bad-mouthed by competitors and suffered financially from defamatory statements, including working directly with website operators to have harmful content removed. In many cases, we assist businesses in reclaiming their online reputation, including advising on the removal of damaging content and securing an apology or retraction.
Negligent misstatement and malicious falsehood
Not all harmful statements are technically defamatory, but they can still cause substantial damage. Negligent misstatement and malicious falsehood are two areas where we can help you recover losses.
Negligent misstatement arises when someone says something about you without checking that it is accurate and makes a mistake that causes you loss. We have acted for clients who have lost new jobs because their previous employer made important mistakes in their reference.
Malicious falsehood arises when someone, often a competitor, says something that is not defamatory but is still untrue. For example, a competitor may write to a customer to say that you have retired or stopped offering a particular service. Whilst that customer would not think any worse of you, you may lose a contract or deal. Other examples may arise in comparative advertising, where competitors falsely advertise their products or services as being better than yours.
Our solicitors have experience of obtaining damages for losses caused by inaccurate or malicious statements, as well as injunctions to stop the statements in their tracks.
Defending defamation claims and pressure tactics
We are frequently instructed to defend defamation claims, including claims that should never have been brought.
In some cases, defamation proceedings are used as a tool to intimidate, silence or apply commercial or personal pressure, rather than to correct any genuine falsehood. This may include attempts to force individuals to retract:
- True statements
- Honest opinions
- Public interest commentary
- Accurate reporting or whistle-blowing
Our team has significant experience of defending claims based on truth, honest opinion and public interest, including cases involving journalists, academics, political activists and professionals. We are adept at identifying weak or abusive claims at an early stage and taking decisive action, including:
- Robust pre-action responses
- Strike-out and summary judgment applications
- Costs protection and recovery strategies
- Resisting attempts to use litigation as a means of censorship or coercion
Where appropriate, we will advise on standing firm rather than conceding ground, particularly where freedom of expression or professional integrity is at stake.