As science writer Simon Singh wins his libel case, we look at how the numbers of proceedings have changed
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Simon Singh has won his libel case – over a piece he wrote in the Guardian.
The British Chiropractic Association dropped its libel action against the science writer today, filing a notice of discontinuation in the high court.
The case had become a cause celebre, with scientists, celebrities and freedom of speech campaigners lining up to condemn the British libel laws and argue that Singh had a right to express his opinion in print.
The sudden end to the case ( read the full judgment here ) will strengthen the campaign for reform of the libel laws, which Jack Straw, the justice secretary, is considering. It is also a specific pledge in the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Justice , libel cases have seen a huge jump recently – and big cases are now the largest percentage of the total they have ever been. The Libel Reform Campaign now has 50,000 signatures in its’ petition to reform the laws – in addition to commitments from Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
And defending yourself in a libel case is an expensive buisness: Singh tells the Datablog he lost 46 solid weeks of work in defending his article and it cost him £200,000.
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Full Article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/apr/15/libel-cases-general-election
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