Elton John has lost his libel lawsuit against The Guardian, after the judge (Michael Tugendhat) ruled yesterday that the article under dispute was plainly satirical in nature, and would not be understood as factual by most readers. The case centred on a spoof diary entry written by Marina Hyde, published in the newspaper’s Weekend magazine on 5th July (p. 16), which claimed that John spent vast sums of money on lavish fund-raising parties and only donated “the leftovers” to his AIDS foundation.
In his lawsuit, filed on 5th November, John argued that the costs of his fund-raining events were met by private sponsors. The judge accepted this, though he concluded that the truth or otherwise of Hyde’s article was irrelevant, as the article was presented as a parody rather than a news story.
In his lawsuit, filed on 5th November, John argued that the costs of his fund-raining events were met by private sponsors. The judge accepted this, though he concluded that the truth or otherwise of Hyde’s article was irrelevant, as the article was presented as a parody rather than a news story.
