(381) DEFAMATION ON THE INTERNET: ROBERTSON v SUNDAY HERALD
A settlement was reached in this case on 8 September 2004. It concerned the Sunday Herald‘s liability for a defamatory comment about the former Secretary-General of NATO, Lord Robertson of Portgower, made by an anonymous contributor to an Internet forum run by the newspaper (for further details see No 235). The Scotsman, published by a rival media group, reported on 9 September that Lord Robertson had won his case and received substantial five-figure damages”. Tucked away towards the end of its story was the statement that the case had actually been settled out of court. The Sunday Herald for 12 September explained that two months previously it had made a tender payment of £25