The Celebrities' Connection

The courts of England and Wales have been graced, over the centuries, by a ‘who’s who’ of the famous, infamous, rich and reckless! Were you aware, however, of the number of celebrities in recent times who have appeared in court. Here are just a few examples to prove the point that courts, far from being dull, stuffy places, can contain both fascinating stories and fascinating people.

Who’s that in the Chancery Division of the High Court?
Yes, it’s Dan Brown, bestselling author of ‘The Da Vinci Code’, successfully defending a claim of plagiarism by the authors of a book called ‘The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail’ (see ‘AS Law’, Chapter 6, ‘It’s a fact!’ at p110).

In the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court, we have seen many high-profile defamation cases over the years. For example, Elton John successfully made a claim against the Daily Mirror in 1995 when the Mirror had suggested that the singer had an eating disorder (see ‘AS Law’, Chapter 9, at p172).

In the Family Division of the High Court, the former Arsenal footballer Ray Parlour accepted a divorce settlement which gave Karen, his ex-wife, two mortgage-free homes, a £250,000 lump sum and a personal maintenance award, as increased by the Court of Appeal, of over £400, 000 per year for at least four years. It is believed that the recent split between former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills could produce a divorce settlement of up to £200 million, based on Sir Paul’s estimated fortune of £800 million (see Daily Telegraph, 20/5/06).

In the criminal courts, we have become used to seeing ex-Libertine and now Babyshambles’ frontman, Pete Doherty, pleading guilty to drug possession charges. He also has a conviction for burglary – of a band-mate’s flat! - which was imposed by Horseferry Road Magistrates’ Court and led to a custodial sentence.

High profile footballers, like rock stars, are subject to many pressures and they also appear in the criminal courts from time to time. New Sunderland boss and former Celtic and Manchester United footballer, Roy Keane, hit the headlines in 2005 when he was tried at Trafford magistrates’ court for an alleged assault on a student who had shouted abuse at him, but he was acquitted of the charge (see ‘AS Law’, Chapter 12, ‘It’s a fact!’ at p250).

Very few celebrity cases make it all the way to the House of Lords but one recent example is well worth considering: the libel and breach of privacy action taken by supermodel Naomi Campbell against the Daily Mirror, which had carried a story and photographs about her attending a drugs clinic. The House of Lords heard an unsuccessful challenge from the Daily Mirror on the huge costs ruling against it, and the decision sheds interesting light on the operation of conditional fee agreements (see ‘AS Law’, Chapter 1, p32; and Chapter 11, p228).

 Images courtesy of TopFoto.co.uk