Incautious Blog Costs £25,000

Blogging is becoming increasingly common and there is a widespread belief that ‘anything goes’ on the Internet. However, this is not the case – as a woman who criticised a council chief executive found out to her cost.

The chief executive sent a letter to councillors after the woman had been ejected from a council meeting for filming the proceedings.

She sued the chief executive for libel as a result of comments he had made in the letter. He counter-sued her over five comments she had made about him in her blog, regarding planning decisions made by the council.

The chief executive was successful as regards three of the woman’s five comments and was awarded £25,000 in damages for libel. She failed in her claims, however.