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Cherie v Mandy: Blair's wife takes legal action after book reveals private letters - Graham Atkins Solicitor

Cherie Blair is at the centre of an extraordinary legal dispute with Peter Mandelson over his memoirs.

Mrs Blair was said to be furious that he revealed details of a private letter in which she made a vitriolic attack on Gordon Brown.

Her lawyers are reported to have asked for the section to be removed from the book – although critics said the timing was ironic, given that her own husband last week published his memoirs lifting the lid on his time as Prime Minister.

Lord Mandelson's recently published book, The Third Man, reports details of a personal note from Mrs Blair after he had to quit the Government over a home loans scandal in 1998.

Graham Atkins Solicitor

According to the memoir, she said Lord Mandelson had been the victim of a 'vicious and selfish' campaign engineered by Mr Brown and his supporters and that she was 'angry and upset by what had happened'.

But now Mrs Blair is reported to have employed lawyers Atkins Thomson, who have written to his publishers, HarperCollins, to demand the removal of the entire section from the book.

In a legal letter they also ask that the note is returned to Mrs Blair, and demand £800 (plus VAT) in legal costs. A source at HarperCollins was quoted as saying: 'We think it is a bit petty. Hasn't her husband just betrayed a series of confidences in his own book? In the letter, Lord Mandelson quoted Mrs Blair as saying: 'I have no doubt you have been the victim of a vicious and selfish campaign. Read more------>>>>>

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Cherie Blair uses no-win, no-fee deal for libel prosecution despite her six-figure income - Graham Atkins Solicitor

No-win, no-fee: Cherie Blair is using a deal normally provided for those who cannot afford to pursue litigation

But Cherie Blair is using a no-win no-fee deal with her lawyers to sue a Sunday newspaper for libel, it has emerged.

Conditional fee agreements, according to the Ministry of Justice website, are to provide "access to justice for those who could not afford to pursue litigation and who are not eligible for public funding."

Graham Atkins Solicitor

Yet, despite the substantial family fortune, Mrs Blair now joins the ranks of Naomi Campbell and Sharon Stone in taking advantage of the sometimes controversial CFA scheme.

The no-win no-fee arrangement enables people to take legal action knowing they won't have to pay their lawyers' costs if they lose.

Their lawyers risk working for nothing, but if they win their legal team can charge the losing side a "success fee" up to 100 per cent extra on top of their normal rates to compensate them for the risk of failure.

Mrs Blair is suing the News of the World following an article in January that claimed she was engaged in a "secret feud" with Gordon Brown's wife, Sarah. She is complaining about the story, which was printed under the headline: "War of silence: Cherie's secret feud with PM's Sarah". Read more----->>>>>

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Cherie Blair sues News of the World - Graham Atkins Lawyer

Cherie Blair has launched libel proceedings against the News of the World following an article that claimed she was engaged in a "secret feud" with Gordon Brown's wife, Sarah.

Blair is demanding an apology and damages over the piece, headlined "War of Silence: Cherie's Secret Feud with PM's Sarah", which appeared in the News International-owned paper on January 27 this year.

The wife of former prime minister Tony Blair has instructed law firm Atkins to represent her.

Her case is being dealt with by Graham Atkins Lawyer, who founded the firm nearly two years ago.

Atkins has previously represented the Blairs in a number of cases, including the winning of "substantial damages" from Associated Newspapers in November last year for infringement of privacy.

He told MediaGuardian.co.uk: "It is often necessary for Atkins to take action against newspapers in relation to untrue or invasive stories about our client Cherie Blair. "Generally these are resolved before proceedings are issued and for a claim to get to this stage demonstrates just how concerned and angered Cherie was by the News of the World story." Read more---->>>>>

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News of the World settles Cherie Blair libel case - Graham Atkins Lawyer

News of the World article falsely accused Cherie Blair of having an 'inhuman' attitude in a discussion about victims of crime

Cherie Blair has settled a libel action against the News of the World for an article that falsely accused her of having an "inhuman" attitude in a discussion about the victims of crime.

An article penned by News of the World columnist Carole Malone, which appeared on 5 October last year, contained a string of criticisms of Blair after she appeared as a panellist at a meeting attended by victims of crime.

Graham Atkins Lawyer

The News of the World settled the libel claim made by Blair, printing an apology in yesterday's edition of the tabloid and online accepting that Malone's claims were "unfounded", and paid unspecified damages and legal costs.

Malone's column made a number of false claims, including that Blair had arrived with hordes of secuity men, only made the appearance at the event for publicity purposes and gave "inhuman" responses about the Human Rights Act when questioned in a panel discussion.

The News of the World apology stated: "In the Carole Malone column on 5 October, several criticisms were made of Cherie Blair after she appeared as a panellist at a fringe meeting attended by prominent victims of crime.

"In particular, it was not right to say Mrs Blair arrived with hordes of security men, only appeared for publicity and was "inhuman" in her responses about the Human Rights Act.

"We apologise to her for these assertions which we accept were unfounded."

Graham Atkins, a partner at law firm Atkins Thomson, which represented Blair, said: "Mrs Blair is delighted with the settlement and that her reputation has been restored by taking this action. She will be paying the damages she received to her foundation."

The law firm also pointed out that Blair has spent a "considerable period of time investigating and highlighting for public attention issues relating to crime in this country". She was formerly the patron of Victim Support London. Read more---->>>>>

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Apology to Paolo and Guelfo Marcucci - Graham Atkins Lawyer

Our programme, "The Price of Blood", broadcast on 8 October 2006, reported on an unsuccessful prosecution in Italy of Paolo and Guelfo Marcucci, the owners of the Marcucci group of companies which included, at the time, the biopharmaceutical company Sclavo SpA.

Graham Atkins Lawyer

It was not our intention to allege in the programme that the Marcuccis had sold or distributed blood derivative products that were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C, or which were likely to be infected. Nor did we intend to suggest that as a result they had endangered lives.

We accept that these allegations are untrue and regret any impression we gave to the contrary. We have apologised to the Marcuccis and agreed to pay damages and their legal costs. Read more--->>>>>

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Heather Mills in 'fabrication' storm over kidnap claim - Graham Atkins Lawyer

Heather Mills was facing damaging new allegations today over her claim that she had been abducted and molested by her former swimming coach.

Ms Mills wrote a harrowing account of the kidnap in her best-selling autobiography A Single Step, devoting seven pages to the ordeal.

She claimed that 30 years ago she and a next door neighbour Margaret Ambler had been held in the man's flat in Tyne and Wear for three days until being rescued by police.

More here...

• Why Heather Mills pretended to be me

• I was tarred and Heathered too, says Heather's first husband

But a lawyer acting for Ms Ambler told today how his client received thousands of pounds in damages in an out-of-court settlement this summer for "misuse of private information and invasion of privacy". Ms Mills paid tens of thousands more in legal costs for a case that dragged on for more than a year.

Graham Atkins Lawyer told the Evening Standard the events as described in Ms Mills's autobiography published in 2002 were "embellished beyond belief ".

Ms Ambler, who lives in Carlisle, denies that the three-day kidnapping ordeal ever happened. She was sexually abused by the coach but not in the way described in the book. Mr Atkins said that Ms Mills's further claim that the coach - known as Mr Morris - later killed himself by driving his car off a cliff was also untrue. He understood Mr Morris had subsequently died but not that he had taken his own life. Read more----->>>>>

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TOWIE’s scandalous start – Big Brother star claimed TV execs ‘stole’ his idea - Graham Atkins Solicitor

Two years after winning Big Brother in 2007, Essex lad Brian Belo came up with an idea for a fly-on-the-wall documentary.

It would feature all his rich mates and detail their glamorous lives, lavish spending and love of excess.

And to get it off the ground, he rounded up Sam Faiers, Mark Wright, Kirk Norcross and Amy Childs to shoot a trailer for the show – Totally Essex.

Graham Atkins Solicitor

In the epic video, semi-professional footballer turned night club promoter Mark was seen bragging about buying £5,000 rounds and his pulling prowess.

He gloated: “We’re not an ugly bunch of boys either so we don’t even need to pull out that [money] as much, but the fact that we’ve got that, and we’re good looking, the girls just fly in.

“Just all round our table, on our laps, I probably couldn’t tell you one week or one night of the year we go home empty handed.” A 21-year-old Kirk showed the cameras around his dad’s sprawling manor house estate and his own pad, boasting about dropping £1,500 on drinks for his mates on a standard night out. Read more---->>>>

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TOWIE's scandalous start - Big Brother star claimed TV execs 'stole' his cast and idea - Graham Atkins Lawyer

Big Brother winner Brian Belo even made a trailer for Totally Essex, featuring Mark Wright, Amy Childs, Sam Faiers and Kirk Norcross

Two years after winning Big Brother in 2007, Essex lad Brian Belo came up with an idea for a fly-on-the-wall documentary.

It would feature all his rich mates and detail their glamorous lives, lavish spending and love of excess.

Graham Atkins Lawyer

And to get it off the ground, he rounded up Sam Faiers, Mark Wright, Kirk Norcross and Amy Childs to shoot a trailer for the show - Totally Essex.

In the epic video, semi-professional footballer turned night club promoter Mark was seen bragging about buying £5,000 rounds and his pulling prowess.

He gloated: "We're not an ugly bunch of boys either so we don't even need to pull out that [money] as much, but the fact that we've got that, and we're good looking, the girls just fly in.

"Just all round our table, on our laps, I probably couldn't tell you one week or one night of the year we go home empty handed." A 21-year-old Kirk showed the cameras around his dad's sprawling manor house estate and his own pad, boasting about dropping £1,500 on drinks for his mates on a standard night out. Read more---->>>>>

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Psychic's libel battle ends in victory - Graham Atkins Lawyer

Who? Graham Atkins Lawyer, 46, founding partner of media specialists Atkins Thomson.Why is he in the news?

Represented psychic Sally Morgan in her successful libel action against the publisher of the Daily Mail. The newspaper had accused her of using a hidden earpiece during a Dublin show to receive instructions from her team which she then repeated on stage. The newspaper accepted this was untrue and settled for £125,000 just prior to trial – one of the largest ever pre-action awards.

Thoughts on the case: ‘As a psychic, you will always get sceptics and people questioning your integrity, but that is far from a newspaper with enormous circulation saying you have cheated, which can ruin your reputation entirely. The allegation came from a radio phone-in when two ladies said they heard instructions through an open window at the rear of the theatre being repeated on stage. But there was no proof despite the Mail spending 18 months trying to uncover evidence.’

Dealing with the media: ‘The general media were reasonably fair and careful about what they printed. It was the bloggers who caused more of an issue. They accused Sally of being a fraud and a cheat and effectively said "come and sue us". It’s a free-for-all but we can’t pursue everyone – we’ve done everything we could to vindicate her to the millions who read the Mail and Mail Online.

‘I had a few emails or tweets criticising me for representing her, to put it politely. It was quite unpleasant at times.’Career high: ‘Suing Arnold Schwarzenegger [and two aides] when he was governor of California following allegations made against my client by the governor’s publicist in the Los Angeles Times. The case was brought in London, on the basis that the paper is available here online. We were working for three years on this claim, so it was great when it settled to the satisfaction of all parties.’ Read more---->>>>>

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Psychic Sally awarded payout for 'cheat' claim - Graham Atkins Solicitor

Television psychic Sally Morgan was awarded damages at the High Court yesterday over claims that she had used an earpiece to get instructions during a stage show.

The claim that she had cheated an audience in Dublin in September 2011 was first made during a phone-in on Irish radio.

Two women who were at the performance claimed on air they were sitting at the back of the theatre and thought they heard two crew members ‘saying something which Mrs Morgan had then repeated on stage’.

The 61-year-old, known as ‘Psychic Sally’, has performed in shows on ITV2 and Sky Living and in more than 100 theatres worldwide.

Mrs Morgan dismissed the allegation as ‘nonsense’ but it was repeated in a later article by the magician Paul Zenon which appeared in the Daily Mail and on Mail Online, published by Associated Newspapers. Her solicitor, Graham Atkins Solicitor, told the court that the claim she had cheated ‘caused enormous distress to Mrs Morgan’. 

He said the article – ‘a general attack on psychics as being charlatans’ – accused Mrs Morgan of receiving instructions from her team and repeating them on stage at the Dublin show as if ‘she had received them from the spirit world’.

Mr Atkins said the allegation that she had cheated the audience in Dublin by receiving instructions via an earpiece was ‘completely false and defamatory of her’. Read more---->>>>>

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Daily Mail to pay £125,000 libel damages over TV psychic 'scam' claim - Graham Atkins Solicitor

Paper apologises over article making untrue allegation that Sally Morgan used hidden earpiece to scam theatre audience

The Daily Mail has apologised and agreed to pay £125,000 in libel damages to a TV psychic it falsely accused of using a hidden earpiece to scam a theatre audience.

Sally Morgan, who has appeared on TV and on stage under the name "Psychic Sally", complained that the article in September 2011 meant she had "deliberately and dishonestly" tricked her audience in Dublin.

The article, by the magician Paul Zenon, claimed that Morgan had used a hidden earpiece during her performance in order to receive instructions and relay them on stage as if they were messages from the spiritual world.

In a statement at the high court on Thursday, the solicitor for Morgan, Graham Atkins Solicitor of the law firm Atkins Thomson, said the article had "caused enormous distress" to the psychic.

"The allegation contained in the article that Mrs Morgan cheated the audience in Dublin is completely false and defamatory of her," he told Mr Justice Tugendhat.

"It also caused enormous distress to Mrs Morgan, who decided, given the newspaper's initial defence of the article, that she had no choice but to commence legal proceedings against the publisher of the Daily Mail."

The solicitor Brid Jordan appeared on behalf of the Daily Mail publisher, Associated Newspapers, and apologised unreservedly for the hidden earpiece claim "which it accepts is untrue".

Atkins told the court that the article appeared in the Daily Mail "in the context of a general attack on psychics as being charlatans". Read more--->>>>>

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Late playwright's partner wins damages - Graham Atkins Solicitor

The former partner of playwright Anthony Shaffer has accepted substantial undisclosed damages from a newspaper that reported she had pretended to have a relationship with him so she could claim on his estate.

Marie Capece Minutolo, a sculptor and businesswoman, sued London's Evening Standard newspaper over the July 2002 article, which claimed that rather than being Shaffer's partner, she was simply his research assistant.

Ms Minutolo's lawyer, Graham Atkins Solicitor, told the High Court that Ms Minutolo had lived with Shaffer, author of Sleuth, from 1998 until his sudden death in London in November 2001.

Mr Atkins said it was entirely untrue to suggest, as the Evening Standard did, that Ms Minutolo had pretended to have had a relationship. Minutolo and Shaffer had a "serious and loving" relationship for several years, he said. Read more---->>>>>

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Standard runs feature in £100k libel deal - Graham Atkins Solicitor

The Evening Standard has printed a sympathetic two-page feature about a dead playwright’s mistress as part of a libel deal which cost the paper an estimated £100,000.

The unusual settlement saw the Standard agree to write the piece, with copy approval for the complainant, instead of publishing an apology.

Graham Atkins Solicitor

Jo Capece Minutolo was the mistress of playwright Anthony Shaffer, whose filmed works included Sleuth and The Wicker Man. After his death in November 2001, a legal wrangle resulted in Minutolo failing to get a share of the writer’s estate.

She sued the Standard after it published an article on 10 July 2002 that suggested she was “an opportunist who had deliberately pretended to have had a relationship with Anthony Shaffer when in fact she was merely a hired researcher”.

A statement agreed in open court said: “This suggestion is entirely untrue.” The paper agreed to pay Minutolo damages of £35,000; when both sides’ legal bills are included the cost to the paper is likely to reach £100,000. Read more--->>>>>

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SIDE SHOW - Graham Atkins Lawyer

DON'T GIVE UP ON HIM, BABY: It has been a rough 22 years for David Soul. His acting career peaked as the "Hutch" part of Starksy and Hutch from 1975-79. The most notable result of his singing career was Don't Give Up On Us, a song that often makes compilation albums called Most Annoying Ballads of the Late 20th Century. There were the requisite battles with "personal demons."

And he most recently spent time in a London court suing a newspaper critic for calling a Soul-starring play the worst thing he had seen in the West End, even though he hadn't actually seen it.

Soul, 58, sued Matthew Wright of the Mirror for libel over a review of the 1998 play The Dead Monkey.

Soul's lawyer, Graham Atkins Lawyer, told the High Court that Wright sent a freelance journalist to see the play for him, and the review contained several factual errors, the Associated Press and Reuters reported.

Soul on Tuesday was awarded $29,000 in damages plus legal costs, which the newspaper estimated at $215,000.

Wright's lawyer, Mark Bateman, said his client apologized for the inaccuracies. He told Reuters that Wright, now a TV personality, had a habit of writing in the first person even when someone else supplied the information but "maintains he is entitled to express an opinion on the subject matter of a play without himself having seen it."

MUSIC TRIVIA: Only one male artist has hit No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart this year all by himself. And he has done it twice. Usher has made it to the top with U Remind Me and this week with U Got It Bad.

He won't be No. 1 on any list of most creative song titles, but that's beside the point.

BLUE-COLLAR HUMOR: Working-class sitcom dads are twice as likely to be portrayed as fools than upper-class ones, according to a University of Massachusetts researcher. And they are twice as likely to be the butt of jokes. Erica Scharrer, an assistant professor of communication, examined post-1950 sitcoms that ran for at least five seasons or ranked in the top 25 in one of the years they aired. Read more--->>>>>

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David Soul wins libel battle with Mirror - Graham Atkins Lawyer

The actor and singer, David Soul, today accepted a £170,000 deal to settle a libel case its former showbusiness columnist Matthew Wright.

Soul, best known for portraying detective Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson in the 70s TV show, Starsky and Hutch, sued Matthew Wright of the Mirror over a review of his 1998 play, The Dead Monkey.

An article, written under Wright's byline, described the play - in which Soul starred with his wife, Alexa Hamilton - as the worst West End show the author had ever seen.

It alleged only 45 people attended a Monday evening performance and said the audience laughed derisively at Soul.

Soul's lawyer, Graham Atkins Lawyer, told the high court judge, Sir Charles Gray, that Wright had not attended the play but had sent a freelance journalist on his behalf.

The freelance journalist, Henrietta Knight, attended the play on Thursday but, crucially, Wright referred to a Monday staging of the play.

The play did not run on Mondays and when Knight saw the play on the Thursday, the theatre had been more than half full.

Wright's lawyer, Mark Bateman, said his client apologised for the inaccuracies in the article.

But he said it was common practice for a columnist to write in the first person, even when relying on information supplied by a third party.

Soul, who hit the music charts in the 70s with the single Don't Give Up on Us, now lives in London.

He said he supported a critic's right to express strong opinions about plays.

"I think it's a cornerstone of the theatre but you have to see the play, you have to be there, you have to have the facts," said Soul, 58.

"And if you are going to use something like that, make sure you get the facts right."

Soul was awarded £20,000 in libel damages plus costs for both sides, estimated by the newspaper at £150,000. Read more--->>>>>

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Josh Hartnett accepts £20,000 libel damages from Daily Mirror - Graham Atkins Lawyer

Hollywood actor Josh Hartnett has accepted £20,000 in libel damages from the Daily Mirror after it falsely claimed he indulged in "steamy shenanigans" with a mystery woman caught on CCTV at a London hotel.

Hartnett, who starred in Pearl Harbour and Black Hawk Down, and is currently appearing in a West End production of Rain Man, is to donate the money to a variety of charities.

Graham Atkins Lawyer

The Mirror claimed in an article on September 1, headlined "Josh Hartnett's saucy CCTV romp", that he and an unknown woman had an encounter in the library of the Soho Hotel.

Mr Justice Eady, sitting at the high court in London today, was told that the article claimed the pair were caught on CCTV cameras.

The star's solicitor Graham Atkins told the high court: "The article alleged that the claimant 'took a mystery lady' to the Soho Hotel in London and that 'their steamy shenanigans were caught on CCTV'."

"It further alleged that 'dumbstruck' and 'cringing hotel workers saw all of Josh's X-rated moves' which resulted in the Soho Hotel asking the claimant 'to take his personal business elsewhere in the future'," Atkins said.

He added the defendant, Mirror Group Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mirror, accepted that the allegations "are entirely false". Victoria Jolliffe, for MGN, said the newspaper apologised for any "distress, hurt and embarrassment" it had caused. Read more--->>>>>

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Actor Hartnett wins payout over sex claims - Graham Atkins Lawyer

Hollywood actor Josh Hartnett accepted £20,000 libel damages today over newspaper allegations that he indulged in "steamy shenanigans" with a mystery woman at a London hotel and that they were caught on CCTV.

Hartnett, 30, who is appearing in the West End in a production of Rain Man, is to donate the money to a variety of charities.

Mr Justice Eady, sitting at the High Court in London, was told that the action concerned an article published in the Daily Mirror on 1 September entitled "Josh Hartnett's saucy CCTV romp".

The star's solicitor Graham Atkins Lawyer said: "The article alleged that the claimant 'took a mystery lady' to the Soho Hotel in London and that 'their steamy shenanigans were caught on CCTV'."

He added: "It further alleged that 'dumbstruck' and 'cringing hotel workers saw all of Josh's X-rated moves' which resulted in the Soho Hotel asking the claimant 'to take his personal business elsewhere in the future'."

Mr Graham Atkins Lawyer said the defendant, MGN Ltd, publisher of the Daily Mirror, accepted that the allegaations "are entirely false".

Mr Atkins said: "The incident never happened and accordingly the Soho Hotel has never asked the claimant to 'take his personal business elsewhere in the future'.

"Indeed, the claimant remains a welcome guest there."

The lawyer told the judge: "The publication of this false article has caused hurt, embarrassment and distress to the claimant. Read more--->>>>