View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
June 24, 2005updated 22 Nov 2022 3:52pm

OK! told to pay Hello! £2.5million

By Press Gazette

OK! magazine today left London’s
Appeal Court more than £2.5 million poorer. In the aftermath of the
magazine’s defeat in the battle with rival Hello! over the use of
unauthorised wedding pictures of Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael
Douglas the court ordered OK! to repay £1.047 million it was awarded in
damages by the High Court.
It also ordered OK! to repay £700,000 plus
£180,000 in interest that Hello! had paid towards its legal costs in
the wake of the High Court ruling. With an order that OK! pay £600,000
as an interim payment towards Hello! magazine’s legal costs the total
bill for OK! stands at £2,527,000.
OK! will have to pay a further contribution
towards Hello! magazine’s estimated £1.5 million costs but that
contribution will be assessed later. Their own legal costs are expected
to be similar. OK! were also refused permission to appeal to the House
of Lords against the Appeal Court’s ruling last year in favour of
Hello! However, lawyers for OK! confirmed that they will be asking the
Law Lords directly for permission to appeal to them. They also added
that the Douglases remain happy with their award and would not be
taking part in any further proceedings. Outside Court afterwards,
Chris Hutchings, solicitor for Hello! said : “We
hope this is an end to this matter which never should have got this
far. It is really a farce that it did over six pictures.”

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

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