by British actor Noel Clarke has been ordered to pay £3 million in damages to The Guardian after losing a libel case against the publication.
In 2021, Clarke was the subject of seven articles and a podcast by The Guardian regarding allegations of sexual misconduct. One specific article, published in April 2021, alleged that 20 women had accused Clarke of acting inappropriately in a professional capacity, which he denied. He subsequently unsuccessfully sued the newspaper for £70 million in damages.
Last month, a judge denied Clarke’s claim in her judgment and said The Guardian “succeeded in establishing both truth and public interest defences to the libel claim”.
On September 23rd, Clarke represented himself at a hearing in London and heard that it was ruled that he must pay an initial £3 million. A further assessment will be made into The Guardian’s legal costs, which are believed to be “significantly in excess of £6 million”.
Judge Mrs Justice Steyn told the court: “The claimant maintained a far-fetched and indeed a false case that the articles were not substantially true, by pursuing allegations of dishonesty and bad faith against almost all of the defendant’s truth witnesses.”
Steyn said the £3 million figure was “appropriate and no more than what ought to be reasonably ordered in this case” and also claimed the fee is “substantially lower than the defendant’s likely level of recovery.”
Clarke, who told the court he used ChatGPT to help with his response, said at the hearing, “I have lost my work, my savings, my legal team, my ability to support my family and much of my health. My wife and children live every day under the shadow of uncertainty. We remortgaged our home just to survive. Any costs or interim payments must be proportionate to my means as a single household, not the unlimited resources of a major media conglomerate.”
Last month, following the ruling of the libel case, The Guardian’s editor-in-chief Katharine Viner said the result is “a deserved victory for those women who suffered because of the behaviour of Noel Clarke”. She continued: “Going to court is difficult and stressful, yet more than 20 women agreed to testify in the High Court, refusing to be bullied or intimidated.
He has been ordered to pay the £3 million within the next 28 days.
