Schillings assist Earl and Lady Spencer in winning libel action

Schillings solicitors has won their libel action against the Sunday Express on behalf of Earl Spencer and his daughter Lady Kitty Spencer.

The judgement has meant Earl Spencer and his daughter Lady Kitty Spencer have won an apology, Statement in Open Court as well as substantial damages and their legal costs from the Sunday Express after bringing a libel action in the High Court.

The Sunday Express article of 30 August 2009 entitled “The It girl making the Spencers glamorous”, made various false allegations concerning Earl Spencer’s divorce from his wife Caroline and was critical of his behaviour and that of Lady Kitty in connection with the divorce.

The Sunday Express has accepted that the allegations complained about were false. In an apology to be published on Sunday 6 December 2009 the Sunday Express will say:

“On 30 August 2009 in an article ”The It girl making the Spencers glamorous" we published several false allegations about Earl Spencer and his eldest daughter, Lady Kitty Spencer. We regret the suggestion in that article that either of them acted improperly in any way in connection with Earl Spencer’s divorce from his wife Caroline, or in relation to the division of the family assets.

We would like to apologise to Earl Spencer and Lady Kitty Spencer for the distress and embarrassment we may have caused"

The Sunday Express also joined with Earl Spencer and Lady Kitty Spencer in making a Statement in Open Court whereby Express Newspapers accepted that they should not have published the article as they did and formally apologised. Express Newspapers has also paid substantial damages and legal costs in full.

Earl Spencer said:

“I hope that this result sends a clear message: that I will not allow my children to be libelled.”

Schillings, the solicitors to Earl Spencer and Lady Kitty issued this statement:

“We are glad to have been able to assist Earl Spencer and Lady Kitty. However, this article was another example of the media misreporting on private family matters without having first contacted the subjects of the story. Had the newspaper been obliged to contact Earl Spencer and Lady Kitty prior to publication these libels might never have been published.”

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Notes to editors:

About Schillings
Schillings is one of Britain’s top law firms dedicated to reputation management and safeguarding the rights of international corporations and brands, high-profile business people and those in the public eye. The firm’s 25 year track-record in defamation, privacy law and copyright cases together with family law, matrimonial and commercial dispute resolution is second to none, prompting The Independent newspaper to call Schillings a “spectacularly efficient media law firm”.

Schillings clients include entertainer Madonna, supermodel Naomi Campbell, actress Kate Winslet, seven times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, international footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Potter author JK Rowling, pharmaceuticals maker GlaxoSmithKline, steel maker Arcelor Mittal, the Harrods Group and the London Stock Exchange.

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