Facing the biggest defamation damages in the history of the UK courts

[VanessaW]

Hi everyone,

The above is my claim to fame!

I've joined LB to create awareness of my case, support others who are facing legal action, and help create awareness of the dangers of "wealth creation" gurus who infest social media with promises of "get rich quick".

I have been involved in consumer protection in the property sector for over a decade and am now facing £5.4million in alleged damages for fact-checking a property guru.

I have received tremendous support from the Free Speech Union and Index On Censorship and I hope the LB community can get behind me as well.

My case was also featured in the Guardian along with another defamation case the claimant is bringing against members of a facebook group that was set up to help people make wise choices about paying for expensive property training courses https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...-10000-courses

This is very brave of the Guardian, as the claimant is highly litigious and threatens legal action against anyone who's views he does not like.

He also creates harassing videos about people who stand up to him - he's made over a dozen malicious videos about me trying to discredit me and get me cancelled from the sector. It's been four years of immense stress and anxiety for me since he started his campaign against me.

This will prove to be a landmark case for freedom of speech in the public interest, so stay tuned!

[islandgirl]

Wow - a fascinationg read. Presumably he will have to prove it though?

[VanessaW]

Thank you for your interest. Yes, he will have to prove it and I have to defend myself. We are still in the early stages, but my legal bill is currently about £130K.

Anything anyone says can be deemed defamatory and they can be dragged through the courts for it. I could say "John Smith has a big nose" and he could sue me for defamation, even though it's my opinion and I am entitled to hold it in law - but I can still face High Court proceedings and spend a fortune to get my defence in front of a judge at trial.

Defamation proceedings are under scrutiny because of this.

[islandgirl]

Thank you for your reply and for coming here and raising awareness of this issue. I will certainly be following this case with a huge amount of interest. You are brave and inspiring.

[VanessaW]

That is very kind of you to say! I really appreciate your interest and support.

This recent podcast I did gives some further insights into my case:

https://youtu.be/-HzZUQa9gWw

[echat11]

Thank you for your interest. Yes, he will have to prove it and I have to defend myself. We are still in the early stages, but my legal bill is currently about £130K.

Anything anyone says can be deemed defamatory and they can be dragged through the courts for it. I could say "John Smith has a big nose" and he could sue me for defamation, even though it's my opinion and I am entitled to hold it in law - but I can still face High Court proceedings and spend a fortune to get my defence in front of a judge at trial.

Defamation proceedings are under scrutiny because of this.

There is quite a lot you can say without it being 'defamatory', a lot of it has been 'tested' in Courts already.

So there is a lot of 'case law' out there already.

Have you checked with Trading Standards to see what reports they have.

Also it might be an idea to start a 'Go Fund' thing.

[VanessaW]

There is quite a lot you can say without it being 'defamatory', a lot of it has been 'tested' in Courts already.

So there is a lot of 'case law' out there already.

Have you checked with Trading Standards to see what reports they have.

Also it might be an idea to start a 'Go Fund' thing.

Thanks for your comment. I was trying to explain in wax crayon why defamation law needs revising.

Even if a comment is defamatory, there are a number of defences that can be used - the strongest being "truth".

I have got a CrowdJustice page, and that has been a great help.

[Torrent2000]

Hi everyone,

The above is my claim to fame!

I've joined LB to create awareness of my case, support others who are facing legal action, and help create awareness of the dangers of "wealth creation" gurus who infest social media with promises of "get rich quick".

I have been involved in consumer protection in the property sector for over a decade and am now facing £5.4million in alleged damages for fact-checking a property guru.

I have received tremendous support from the Free Speech Union and Index On Censorship and I hope the LB community can get behind me as well.

My case was also featured in the Guardian along with another defamation case the claimant is bringing against members of a facebook group that was set up to help people make wise choices about paying for expensive property training courses https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...-10000-courses

This is very brave of the Guardian, as the claimant is highly litigious and threatens legal action against anyone who's views he does not like.

He also creates harassing videos about people who stand up to him - he's made over a dozen malicious videos about me trying to discredit me and get me cancelled from the sector. It's been four years of immense stress and anxiety for me since he started his campaign against me.

This will prove to be a landmark case for freedom of speech in the public interest, so stay tuned!

I do not want to hijack your post in anyway other that to show solidarity in your case as I have also had a defamation case against me for leaving a negative review on Trustpilot regarding a service that I received.

[VanessaW]

I do not want to hijack your post in anyway other that to show solidarity in your case as I have also had a defamation case against me for leaving a negative review on Trustpilot regarding a service that I received.

Thank you so much for posting and , coincidentally, I just saw your case. I am going to reply on your thread now.