Historical Libel Action by the UK media Club signals an end to Free Speech

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) August 3, 2009 -- The Author, Tyrone D Murphy, is writing a book titled “The Groucho-Gate Affair.” The book is now the subject of a pre publishing test case for a permanent injunction for libel. It is of interest to note that this book has not yet been completed. Murphy said “This frivolous legal action is nothing more than a blatant attempt to silence me and to intimidate me with the threat of costly legal action.

In recent years, similar cases have been described as the ‘scourge of journalism’ and have set alarm bells ringing throughout media circles as such cases are an attack on free speech. The current UK libel laws protect the rich and powerful from any form of public scrutiny or investigation. Newspaper editors and writers now have to consider the costs of intimidating libel actions before they run a story. This undermines the whole role of the Press in our society and encourages self-censorship of articles criticising the interests of the wealthy and the powerful.

This was the case when the American writer Rachel Ehrenfeld's book, ‘Funding Evil,’ which alleged that a Saudi Arabian businessman was funding terrorism. The businessman won a default defamation judgment in the UK but a New York Court would not allow the order to be enforced. The case was described as the most important free speech case in 50 years. This is a typical example of how the British Courts are being abused. Murphy says “I cannot fathom why the Groucho Club, favoured haunt of many of my fellow journalists, would commence an action based purely on speculation of what might be written”.

Tyrone D Murphy states that the exposé deals with the management of the club and not with any of the members. Murphy is an award winning documentary and filmmaker, the editor of the newsletter Article 10 and a former electronic surveillance specialist and was responsible for uncovering many illegal bugging operations in the UK. It is understood that the issue of electronic surveillance at the Groucho Club is a central issue in their case. According to Murphy, the Groucho Club originally applied to the courts for an injunction but did not proceed with the original injunction application because he ‘decimated’ their case. Now, the Groucho Club have used his defence to correct blunders in their original case before instigating this new pre-publishing test case for libel. Murphy states “This test case is based on what could be written and is the most ferocious attack on free speech in many years; it has wide reaching ramifications for all writers and journalists alike”
The Groucho V Murphy case is a captivating one, not only because the case is about an exposé book not yet completed, but also because the case also seems to be based on thought processes and speculation of what might be written. George Orwell’s book ‘1984’ immediately springs to mind. Fiction aside, this particular type of test case has never been tried before in a UK Court. If this case is successful, the libel laws may well change. One ca

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