Defamation & Serious Harm - Recent Caselaw Explored

Introduction

Since its introduction in the Defamation Act 2013, the serious harm requirement in s.1 has generated extensive case law concerning its application in practice. Given its importance in defamation litigation, it is vital that practitioners and advisors are familiar with the latest developments in the case law.

This webinar provides an overview of the s.1 requirement and an update on the latest case law on this issue (including the Court of Appeal’s judgment in Blake and ors v Fox [2025]), together with an analysis of how this case law affects the application of the requirement in practice.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• Overview of the serious harm requirement (including its application to individuals and to bodies that trade for profit)
• Summary of the most important cases on the serious harm requirement
• Analysis of the most recent case law on the serious harm requirement and the consequences for its application in practice

This pre-recorded webinar will be available to view from Thursday 28th May 2026

Alternatively, you can gain access to this webinar and 2,100+ others via the MBL Webinar Subscription. Please email webinarsubscription@mblseminars.com for more details.