A well-known man who sought an injunction to prevent the publication of sexual misconduct allegations has been given a deadline to appeal after his bid was dismissed by the High Court.
Injunction bid dismissed
The man asked the High Court to permanently prevent two news organisations from publishing his identity and the allegations, but the injunction request was denied on Tuesday. He brought legal action against Independent Television News (ITN), which produces news programmes for ITV, Channel 4, Good Morning Britain and Channel 5, and Guardian News and Media (GNM), publisher of The Guardian.
Lawyers for the media organisations previously told the High Court in London that the allegations they want to report involve the man's alleged 'abuse of power and status' to contact young women and try to engage in 'inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities'.
Appeal window opened
In a judgment on Tuesday, Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed the injunction bid but said the man could take his case to the Court of Appeal. Anonymity and reporting restrictions remain in force during the period allowed for any appeal. The claimant must lodge reasons to appeal by 16:30 GMT on Monday November 9.
Sara Mansoori KC, representing the celebrity, asked the court for time to decide whether he wanted to challenge the ruling. She said that her client is 'in a highly vulnerable position' and has 'not been in a position to give us instructions on any appeal'.
Court's position on publication
Mr Justice Nicklin also said that it would not be up to a court to name the man in the case. He said: 'The court does not itself put into the public domain the material which the claimant sought to restrain. It remains the choice of the defendants what, when and how they publish. The court does nothing to pre-empt that decision, which will be for the defendants and the defendants alone when any legal impediment to publication is removed.'
Nicklin noted that the man has repeatedly said he intends to take his own life if the allegations are published, and that this must be taken seriously. He added these statements do not 'establish that suicide is inevitable or that treatment cannot reduce the risk'.
Mansoori previously said the man denies the allegations of wrongdoing and that publication 'would have a potentially fatal impact', and that he has 'no intention of returning to public life'. The celebrity first asked the court in the summer to stop the publication of the investigation after journalists contacted him with allegations. ITN and the Guardian said their investigation had uncovered how the celebrity had allegedly abused his 'power and status'.
