Oldknow v Evans - 21.03.2021
Case- Case number
- [2021] EWHC 1028 (QB)
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Case Description
The case concerned an application for Norwich Pharmacal and/or pre-action disclosure against a political party in order to identify those responsible for leaking an internal report dealing with the party’s handling of antisemitism complaints. The antisemitism-related core lay in the alleged defamatory and privacy-infringing content of the leaked report, which attributed responsibility for the “antisemitism crisis” within the party to certain officials. The Court refused to order disclosure of the identities of persons the party “reasonably believed” to be responsible for the leak, holding that the Norwich Pharmacal jurisdiction does not extend to requiring a respondent to name individuals it merely suspects, particularly where there is a real risk that innocent persons might be identified. The Court emphasised the exceptional nature of the jurisdiction and the need to avoid speculative identification of potential wrongdoers. Norwich Pharmacal Co v Customs and Excise Commissioners [1974] AC 133; CPR 31.16; Limitation Act 1980, s. 32A
- Name of Court
- High Court Of Justice King's Bench Divison Media And Communications List
- Date of decision
- Mar 1, 2021
- Subjects
- Defamation
- Discrimination
- Type of Court
- Court of first instance
- Area of Law
- Civil Law
- Year
- 2021
- Generated ID
- HRU1846-4608
- Geolocation
Latitude: 51.47533879284734
Longitude: -0.10986328125000001
- Geolocation
- Source
- National Archives