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  1. Media Law
February 21, 2012

The Sun says Giggs’ damages claim is dead in the water

By PA Mediapoint

A High Court judge is considering whether a damages claim made by Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs against The Sun newspaper should be thrown out.

The Sun says Giggs’ claim – made after the newspaper published an article about a relationship with reality television star Imogen Thomas – is “dead in the water” and should be stopped.

Giggs says The Sun “misused” private information and argues that he is entitled to claim damages for distress and breach of a right to privacy enshrined in human rights legislation.

At the High Court in London today, Mr Justice Tugendhat heard legal argument about whether Giggs’ damages claim should proceed.

He reserved judgment on whether there should be a trial to a date to be fixed.

Giggs was named in open court for the first time at today’s hearing – after starting legal action following the publication of the article in April 2011 – as a result of a judge concluding that anonymity was no longer necessary.

A judge had ruled that Giggs should not be identified in order to protect his privacy but the star has been named in many publications after his identity was revealed in Parliament.

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Justice Tugendhat said at today’s hearing that anonymity no longer applied to Giggs.

Hugh Tomlinson QC, for Giggs, argued today that The Sun had misused private information in the article – in which Giggs was not identified.

Tomlinson said Giggs was claiming damages for the subsequent re-publication of information in other newspapers and on the internet – and argued that his claim should go to trial.

“He has suffered damage and distress by the chain of events that has been set off by the publication of the article in The Sun,” Tomlinson told Mr Justice Tugendhat.

“We say the printing of information on the front page of a national newspaper can give rise to an action for misuse of private information.”

He suggested that The Sun article had “generated a large media storm” and said the damages claim was about “providing effective protection” for Giggs’ right to privacy – enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights.

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