Lessons Learned from Defending Investigative Journalism Against Legal Claims

In April 2021, in a series of articles, the Guardian broke the story of multiple accusations of bullying and sexual misconduct against Noel Clarke, a British actor, director and producer. Clarke later sued the Guardian for libel, seeking up to £70 million in damages. In 2025, following a six-week trial, Clarke lost his claim. The Guardian successfully defended its reporting on the grounds of truth and public interest.

At the same time, another blockbuster #MeToo libel legal saga was going through the courts. In 2023, the Financial Times published accounts from 20 women accusing financier Crispin Odey of sexual assault and harassment. Odey sued the FT for £79 million. The case was set to go to trial in June this year. But in April, Odey dropped the claim. Lawyers for the financier said that while he continued to deny “in the strongest possible terms” that the allegations against him were “remotely true”, he’d been “forced to accept” the FT’s public interest defence would win in court. Later, Odey’s lawyers told the FT that the Clarke judgement had influenced his decision to drop the case.