Laurence Fox could be forced to pay out £3million after losing libel case

29 January 2024 , 18:15

1199     0

Laurence Fox has lost a libel case in the High Court that was brought over comments on social media

Laurence Fox has suggested that the High Court libel case which he lost this week has already cost millions, with potential damages and "remedies" yet to be announced.

The broadcaster, 45, was sued by former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake and drag artist Colin Seymour - who's known under the drag name Crystal - over comments that were made on X, formerly known as Twitter, in October 2020. Fox called Blake and Seymour "paedophiles" in a dispute on the platform about Sainsbury's celebration of Black History Month that year. Fox counter-sued the pair and Nicola Thorp over tweets accusing him of being "a racist".

It was announced in a ruling on Monday that a judge for the High Court found that actor Fox had defamed Blake and Seymour, ruling in their favour and dismissing Laurence's counter-claims. He has since suggested that he will appeal which could cost millions, despite fees already reaching £2 million.

A judge has ruled against Laurence Fox in a High Court libel case that involved the broadcaster (PA)

According to the Press Association, Mrs Justice Collins Rice said: "Mr Fox's labelling of Mr Blake and Mr Seymour as paedophiles was, on the evidence, probabilities and facts of this case, seriously harmful, defamatory and baseless." She added: "The law affords few defences to defamation of this sort. Mr Fox did not attempt to show these allegations were true, and he was not able to bring himself on the facts within the terms of any other defence recognised in law."

The outlet states that Mrs Justice Collins Rice didn't make a ruling on whether or not Fox was "a racist," after finding the three tweets in his counter-claim were unlikely to cause serious harm to his reputation. Fox had said it's "a career-ending word and a reputation-destroying allegation" though.

Taylor Swift seen looking cosy with Matty Healy's mum Denise Welch months ago

Mrs Justice Collins Rice said: "I have insufficient evidence that it is to any material degree the tweets sued on, rather than Mr Fox's chosen and sustained presentation as someone who sets out consciously to challenge public opinion on racism in the UK, including as expressed politically through his leadership of the Reclaim Party and through his choices about the tone and register of his public utterances, that materially account for his current profile and reputation in relation to racism among supporters and critics alike."

He had been sued by Simon Blake (left) and Colin Seymour (right), and had counter-sued them and Nicola Thorp (centre) (Lucy North/PA Wire)

Fox - who, years after appearing in shows like ITV's Lewis, launched the Reclaim Party in 2020 - has suggested that millions have been spent on the legal battle already. He said outside the court: "Essentially what we've got after you know, several million quid is a nothing burger." He later suggested in his statement today that it had cost £2 million.

PA reports that Mrs Justice Collins Rice said that damages and any other remedies would be discussed at a later date. It was previously reported that at a hearing in May 2022, a judge said that Fox would have to pay the trio's legal costs of responding to his unsuccessful request for a jury trial, which alone amounted to a reported £36,684.

Addressing the ruling today, Fox said outside the court: "A judge in the High Court has ruled that I didn't suffer any serious harm through the allegations of racism made against me, which is strange because, at the same time, she also declined to define the meaning of the word 'racist'."

He said: "We're gonna have to go back to court to appeal to get a meaning of this word." Fox later said: "[That's] another million quid that we're going to have to spend to find out the meaning of a word that every single human being in this country knows the meaning of." Addressing the defamation ruling against him, Fox said it was a "rhetorical device" in response to what Blake and Seymour had said to him, and added that he'd apologised to them in court.

In a statement posted on X today, Seymour said: "I am incredibly relieved to have this outcome - a huge weight I've been carrying for over three years has just been lifted. [...] Mr Fox could have made this go away very early on with a meaningful apology and settlement."

Seymour added: "This judgment unequivocally states that his tweet was defamatory and that it caused me harm. I am very happy to have this finalised and I hope it will make some difference in the ongoing demonisation of queer people as 'groomers' or 'dangerous'. This is a lesson: we will not take it." He added that "damages and costs [are] still to be awarded at a later date".

Thorp said on the platform following the ruling: "For the last three years, Laurence Fox has held us responsible for the downfall of his acting career, his failure to become London Mayor and even the increasing cost of his car insurance. [...] It's time that Mr Fox accepted that any damage to his reputation is entirely his own doing."

Joel Leaver