Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Judge throws out most of Swedish businessman’s libel claim in England

Judge throws out most of Swedish businessman’s libel claim in England

Svante Kumlin brought action in London court against Swedish journalists writing about him and his firm
A British judge has thrown out large parts of a libel action by a Swedish businessman who tried to sue journalists writing about his company before its flotation on a Norwegian stock exchange.

Svante Kumlin, a renewable energy businessman living in Monaco, and the UK holding company of his Eco Energy World business group, were the subject of reports by journalists at the news organisation Realtid, based in Stockholm.

Kumlin complained that the articles, which were published in 2020, falsely suggested that he and his company were fraudulently marketing bogus ethical investments.

The case was criticised by free expression campaigners as a Slapp (strategic lawsuit against public participation), an abusive legal action inappropriately filed in London in order to exploit the UK’s culture of exorbitant legal costs and deter legitimate journalism.

In the wake of parliamentary debates about British reputation lawyers suing investigative journalists on behalf of Russian oligarchs, the Ministry of Justice is currently consulting on possible reforms to filter out inappropriate cases.

Kumlin has previously rejected the suggestion that the case is inappropriate, arguing that “our company is actually registered in the UK and … the English legal system is therefore a natural place to try our case”.

In a high court judgment published on Wednesday, Mr Justice Knowles dismissed the majority of the libel claim against the Swedish journalists.

In the case of the company Eco Energy World, he found that any damage to its reputation as a result of the articles had occurred primarily outside England and Wales, and that as a holding entity that carried out no trading activity, it had no business in the UK that could be damaged.

In the case of Kumlin, the judge found that the businessman had insufficient reasons to sue the Swedish journalists in London.

“[Kumlin] has failed to displace the general position that his centre of interests is Monaco, where he is habitually resident,” the judge found.

Analytics data produced for the court by the journalists claimed that the most popular of the articles subject to the legal complaint had 41 hits from England and Wales, while the least popular had eight.

The judge said Kumlin could pursue his claim only in respect of damage suffered in the UK as a result of the publications.

Realtid’s editor-in-chief Camilla Jonsson said the paper welcomed the decision and noted that five of the articles were found not to contain defamatory meanings.

A statement from Eco Energy World, provided by its lawyers TLT, said it “welcomes the judgment from Mr Justice Knowles in which he concluded that, in relation to [Kumlin], there is a good arguable case that three articles published by Realtid have caused serious harm and are defamatory.

“With Realtid having failed in their attempt to prevent the claims proceeding in this jurisdiction, the proceedings will now continue in the English high court.”

Jessica Ní Mhainín, policy and campaigns manager at Index on Censorship, said: “We welcome the high court’s decision to throw out large parts of the libel case against the Swedish business and finance publication Realtid, its editor-in-chief, and two of its investigative journalists.

“However we remain concerned that Realtid may nonetheless have to continue defending themselves in London’s courts.”
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
×