Mr Barratt paid the fine as a measure of goodwill and attempted twice to appeal his conviction, paying over £10,000 to lawyers. The court case for his second appeal was scheduled for October 14 last year, and Mr Barratt, who was in Qatar without his wife, was advised to leave the country beforehand or face imprisonment. Source link
Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 19, 2026. Daniel Heuer | Bloomberg | Getty Images A Houston federal court judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit by FBI Director Kash Patel alleging that former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi defamed him by saying Patel last year had “been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of” the bureau’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. “The Court finds that Figliuzzi’s statement is rhetorical hyperbole that cannot constitute defamation,” U.S. District Court Judge George Hanks Jr. wrote in his decision. “Accordingly, Dir. Patel has failed to state a claim against Figliuzzi, and his lawsuit must be dismissed.” The dismissal came a day after Patel filed an unrelated $250 million defamation lawsuit in D.C. federal court against The Atlantic magazine over a new article that alleged he has abused alcohol. While ruling on the key question of defamation in Figliuzzi’s favor, the judge denied his request …
Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Australian actor Rebel Wilson appeared in a Sydney court on Monday at the start of a defamation case brought by Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actor in Wilson’s directorial debut The Deb, over allegations linked to a series of social media posts made by Wilson. MacInnes claims Wilson falsely suggested in Instagram posts that she had privately confided in her about being sexually harassed by one of the film’s producers. Court filings allege Wilson, the star of three Pitch Perfect movies and Bridesmaids, failed to seek verification from MacInnes and made the claims despite knowing no complaint had been made. Rebel Wilson speaks to the media as she arrives at court on the first day of a nine-day defamation hearing between Charlotte MacInnes and Rebel …
FBI Director Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic on Monday, claiming the magazine’s recent exposé on his time as agency director was a malicious “hit piece.” The piece, published by the outlet last week, painted Patel’s tenure as run through with extended, “unexplained absences.” Citing interviews with dozens of FBI insiders, reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick called the director “erratic, suspicious of others, and prone to jumping to conclusions before he has necessary evidence” and shared that his “drinking has been a recurring source of concern across the government.” Patel threatened to sue The Atlantic over the claims prior to the article’s publication, daring the magazine to “print it” in a statement that was included in the final story. “All false, I’ll see you in court—bring your checkbook,” he said. Patel’s defamation suit accuses The Atlantic of “actual malice,” a legal test that needs to be met for public officials to successfully prove they’ve been libeled. That notoriously difficult standard requires the plaintiff to show that the publisher knew its claims were …
Rebel Wilson has appeared in court for the start of a defamation trial brought against her by another actress who starred in her directorial debut. Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actress in Wilson’s film The Deb, has made allegations against the star linked to a series of posts on social media. MacInnes claims Wilson falsely suggested in Instagram posts that she had privately confided in her about being sexually harassed by one of the film’s producers. Image: Charlotte MacInnes is suing Wilson for defamation. Pic: Reuters Court filings in Australia allege Wilson, star of films including Bridesmaids and the three Pitch Perfect movies, shared the claims despite knowing no complaint had been made and did not seek verification from MacInnes. The posts on Wilson’s Instagram account allegedly implied MacInnes lied when she denied discussing harassment or inappropriate behaviour by producers on The Deb. Wilson has denied the claims. MacInnes, who was also in court in Sydney for the start of the hearing, is seeking aggravated damages and a court order preventing Wilson from repeating the allegations …
U.S. President Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch. Julia Demaree Nikhinson | Jonathan Ernst | Reuters A federal judge in Florida on Monday dismissed President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against media baron Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal, which claimed the newspaper defamed Trump with a story saying the president had sent a “bawdy” 50th birthday letter to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But Trump will be given the chance to file a new amended lawsuit by April 27 in the case about the letter that the Journal published in July 2024, Judge Darrin Gayles said in his ruling in U.S. District Court in Miami. Gayles said he had to dismiss the civil complaint because Trump, who has adamantly denied sending the letter to his then-friend Epstein in 2003, had “not plausibly alleged that the Defendants published the Article with actual malice.” Plaintiffs who are public figures like Trump must show that a defendant had actual malice when they made allegedly defamatory statements, according to legal precedent. Gayles said Trump’s complaint “falls short of …
By Luc Cohen and Jack Queen April 13 (Reuters) – A federal judge on Monday dismissed Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-sues-wall-street-journal-over-epstein-report-seeks-10-billion-2025-07-19/ against the Wall Street Journal, a setback for the U.S. president in his legal campaign https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/trump-sues-bbc-defamation-over-editing-january-6-speech-2025-12-16/ against media companies he accuses of treating him unfairly. The case was one of several that Trump, a Republican, has filed during his presidency against major media outlets over reporting he has characterized as unfair or false. That has led to concern among Democrats and press freedom advocates that he is seeking to use defamation cases to quell critical coverage nL6N3V7024. Trump’s lawsuit said the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper tarnished his reputation with an article describing a birthday card to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein https://www.reuters.com/world/us/what-you-need-know-about-trump-epstein-maga-fracture-2025-07-22/ bearing Trump’s signature. Trump and his lawyers said the card is fake, even after it was released https://www.reuters.com/world/us/congress-releases-epsteins-birthday-book-including-alleged-trump-letter-2025-09-08/ by lawmakers investigating Epstein’s case. Trump filed the lawsuit in July 2025 as his administration faced criticism from its conservative base and congressional Democrats over its handling of the case against Epstein, a financier who …
A charity co-founded by Prince Harry is suing the British royal for defamation at the High Court in London, a court record shows. Sentebale was founded by Harry in 2006 to help young people with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana, but he resigned as a patron in March 2025 after a public falling-out with the chair of the board, Sophie Chandauka. According to a record made public on Friday, Sentebale lodged a defamation claim last month at the High Court against Harry and Mark Dyer, who was also a trustee of the charity. No documents are currently available in the claim, which was originally filed on 24 March. Image: Prince Harry plays with two young children being supported by Sentebale in Lesotho. Pic: Reuters A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Mr Dyer said the pair “categorically reject these offensive and damaging claims”, after the legal action was launched. Sentebale said it lodged a defamation claim following what it called a “co-ordinated adverse media campaign” which it said had damaged its reputation. In a …
According to Foreman, police confiscated a joint, a vape pen, and $5,031 in cash. (The latter was returned.) He was never charged. A spokesperson for the Adams County Prosecutor’s Office later admitted that the raid “failed to turn up probative criminal evidence.” “You shouldn’t kick people’s doors down over speculation, and you shouldn’t kick people’s doors down with an AR-15 over assumptions,” Foreman told Fox 19. In the wake of the event, Foreman says he thought about suing the police, but decided against it. “I asked myself, as a powerless Black man in America, what can I do to the cops that kicked my door in?” he asked NPR. “And the only thing I could come up with was make a funny rap song about them and make some money, use the money to pay for the damages they did and move on.” The result was Lemon Pound Cake, an album released by Afroman in 2022. Tracks such as “The Police Raid,” “Why You Disconnecting My Video Camera,” and the title song retold details of …
A jury sided with rapper Afroman, whose legal name is Joseph Foreman, in a defamation lawsuit brought by Ohio police who raided his home. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect hide caption toggle caption USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect Afroman was just trying to turn lemons into “Lemon Pound Cake” when he started making music videos and social media posts mocking the law enforcement officers who conducted a heavy-handed raid on his Ohio home. Home surveillance video of the August 2022 raid shows half a dozen gun-wielding law-enforcement officers from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies kicking down his door, combing through his CD collection, going through his suit pockets, flipping through a wad of cash and, in one case, briefly getting distracted by a cake dish on the kitchen counter. The search, on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping, didn’t yield any evidence or charges against the rapper, whose legal name is Joseph Foreman. But he says officers broke his gate and security surveillance wiring, took $400 in cash and frightened his family. …
