View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
May 11, 2006updated 22 Nov 2022 7:14pm

Former Jaguar boss wins libel case against BusinessF1 mag

By Press Gazette

A High Court jury has awarded Tony Purnell, the former head of the Jaguar Formula One team, £75,000 in damages in his libel action against BusinessF1 magazine and its editor, Tom Rubython.

Rubython and BusinessF1 magazine will also have to pay Purnell's legal costs, making the total bill likely to exceed £200,000.

Purnell took BusinessF1 to court over a story alleging Purnell had bribed a journalist.

Rubython pleaded justification (that the story was true), but at the hearing in March, Mr Justice Eady struck this out.

Purnell was awarded the costs of the application and was granted an injunction preventing BusinessF1 from repeating the allegation.

The only issue left for the jury to consider was the level of damages to be awarded to Purnell, which took into account the conduct of Rubython leading up to and during the trial, in a ruling presided over by Mr Justice Gray.

Purnell said: "This has been a challenging experience. Legal action was a last resort, but I am highly satisfied with the result. BusinessF1 sets out its stall as a magazine that readers can trust. The jury gave a firm and unequivocal ruling that now sets the record straight."

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Dominic Crossley of law firm Steeles, which acted for Purnell, said: "Mr Purnell took a brave stand against a magazine that persisted, right up to trial, to conduct an aggressive and unrelenting campaign against him. Mr Purnell has now achieved the result he deserves. This is not the only action being taken against BusinessF1 and its editor, who must now realise that they cannot continue to publish stories that are so wildly inaccurate."

Rubython, former editor of Formula 1 Magazine, was told to pay damages of £8,500 plus legal costs in August last year to Alan Donnelly, official representative of the president of motorsport body, the FIA.

The ruling followed a story in the magazine falsely alleging that Donnelly had diverted some of his €11m fees from the FIA for personal use when they should have gone to his company, Sovereign.

Rubython was unavailable for comment.

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network