THE LAW OF LIBEL

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 35, 4 November 1933, Page 24

THE LAW OF LIBEL

“Speculative Actions” In a presidential address to the English Law Society, Sir Reginald Poole pointed out that an amendment which had been made recently to the rules would go a long way to discourage speculative actions of libel against newspapers, said Sir Reginald. “In this class of action I have had a large experience, and I say without hesitation that many of such actions should never have been brought. “Undeserved attacks by newspapers on innocent people should not be tolerated,” he said, “and untrue attacks upon the private character of individuals by so-called society journalists should be punished severely. Such attacks are cowardly and improper, and deserve the censure of all honest men, and, indeed, receive the condemnation of the best type of journalist. “But I do say that there is a class of speculative practitioners who has always been all too ready to bring frivolous actions against newspapers for an impecunious and financially insolvent .client. “Sooner than fight such a case and incur an expense which they will never recover,” he said, “newspapers have been apt to admit liability and pay money into court. And a speculative plaintiff has taken that money out of court and proceeded to trial on the strength of it and in the hope that he may snatch a verdict in excess of the amount paid in. “Now such a plaintiff will have to elect whether or not the amount satisfies his claim or he will proceed to a trial at which it will be in the power of the judge to deal with the question of costs.”