Billionaire businessman loses high-profile libel case
One of the West’s best known businessman has lost a major libel case.
Inventor and entrepreneur Sir James Dyson lost his libel claim against the publisher of the Daily Mirror.
The Wiltshire billionaire brought the case after a Mirror columnist criticised him for his stance ion Brexit.
Sir James gave evidence at the Royal Courts of Justice for two days during a trial against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over an article published in January 2022.
Dyson described the article published last year as a “personal attack on all that I have done and achieved in my lifetime” and said it was “highly distressing and hurtful”.
However, MGN defended the claim, including by arguing that the opinion piece was “honest opinion”.
In a ruling on Friday, Mr Justice Jay dismissed the inventor’s claim, finding that MGN’s defence had succeeded and that Dyson had not proved that he had suffered serious harm to his reputation.
He said: “In the present case, the claimant cannot demonstrate that he has suffered financial loss as a result of these publications. Nor can he show that his philanthropic work, particularly directed to young people and schools, has been harmed in any way.”
After the decision, an MGN spokesperson said: “We welcome today’s judgment, which upholds the rights of our columnists to share honestly held opinions, even about powerful or wealthy individuals.”
A spokesperson for Dyson said the company employed 3,700 people in the UK and paid more UK corporation tax after 2019 than before.
The spokes person said: “Dyson continues to invest vast sums in the UK, files more patents than any other company, and in 2017 founded a university in Malmesbury which has educated hundreds of undergraduates who pay no tuition fees while earning a salary and even paying tax.”
