Vince Dale Loses Latest Libel Claim
In a High Court ruling today, Judge Jaron Lewis struck out Dale Vince’s claim against the Daily Mail, stating that it was “not potentially viable” and “bound to fail”.
The Judge said: “There is a contradiction in the claimant’s case. The claimant accepts that the headline and photograph do not accurately summarise the article, although his pleaded case on ‘extrinsic facts’ is that they always do.”
He added: “At its highest, it could be said that some readers will have believed that headlines always accurately summarise the underlying article, but this is no more than an opinion, and is insufficient to support an innuendo meaning.”
Concluding: “The claim is not potentially viable, and there is no basis for exercising discretion in the claimant’s favour.”
Guido congratulates Associated Newspapers for standing up to thin-skinned Dale who is spraying writs and threats of writs around like confetti – using his oligarchical wealth and power to menace critics and political opponents.
The principles in this case have a directly analogous application in the cases Dale Vince has brought against Shaun Bailey, Guido, and Richard Tice. That is if the cases even proceed beyond the first hurdle – he must disprove that his hopeless case is not a SLAPP against political critics. The end result will be the same.