By Cohen Davis defamation lawyers:

The Ministry of Justice has proposed new measures to help individual victims of defamation take on big corporations. The new measures are due to be implemented during the spring of 2014.

Currently, losing claimants in England and Wales are ordered to  pay the winning side’s legal bills, on top of their own, which means many individual victims are too scared to bring a claim just in case they lose.

Under the new plan, some losing claimants in defamation cases will only be responsible to pay their own legal bill even if they don’t win the case.

There will be a new ‘one-way’ costs order that Judges will be able to issue to ensure that individual claimants are put off by having to pay the other party’s legal costs.

Justice Minister Helen Grant said:

Defamation and invasion of privacy can have a devastating effect on lives and it is crucial that people, whatever their means, can stand up for their rights in court, even when they are facing a wealthy opponent who can afford to appoint a team of expensive lawyers.

Yair Cohen

Cohen Davis Defamation Lawyers