Client wrongly accused of being a paedophile recovers 5 figure sum

Samuels Solicitors are delighted to have recovered five figure damages for a client wrongly accused of being a paedophile.

Our Client Michael (not his real name), was in the process of separating from his wife, and his local Social Services department were involved with the family.  A social worker telephoned Michael’s ex-wife, and told her that Michael had been convicted of offences against children. Michael’s ex-wife immediately told the children and other family members what the social worker had said.

In fact, the social worker was entirely wrong. Michael had never been convicted of any offence whatsoever, let alone an offence against children. It seems likely that the social worker mistakenly picked up the wrong file and provided the information to the wrong recipient.

Serious damage was caused to Michael’s reputation, not only amongst his immediate family, but also amongst the small community in which he lived.

Samuels Solicitors were instructed on a conditional (no win no fee) basis, and immediately sent a Letter Before Action demanding damages for slander from the Local Authority which employed the social worker.  A negotiated settlement was achieved, and the majority of Michael’s legal costs were paid by the Local Authority.

Samuels Solicitors, based in Devon, has a niche specialism providing reputation management services to Clients, including recovery of damages for libel and slander, the removal of unwanted online reviews, and applications to Google for the “Right to be Forgotten”. 

Judith Thompson, Partner at Samuels Solicitors, says: “Defamation and reputation management cases are becoming more and more common, largely because of what people are saying about each other on social media. We have dealt with cases involving defamation on Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Trip Advisor, and all sorts of different online review sites. Whilst people in this country enjoy freedom of speech, that freedom must be exercised responsibly and within the law, otherwise there is a real risk of being sued for damages”.

Unlike all other types of litigation, conditional (“no win no fee”) arrangements are still available for libel and slander claims and Samuels Solicitors are pleased to be able to offer this to clients who have been defamed online. 

If you have been wrongly accused of being a paedophile, or of any other criminal offence, or if your reputation has been damaged by content posted online, contact us today for a free discussion about how we can help.