Ilian Stoimenov has won his libel claim against the publisher of the Daily Mirror.
Mr Stoimenov’s complaint related to a series of articles published on www.mirror.co.uk and in the hard copy edition of the Daily Mirror, comprising a total of 11 publications published over a period of 9 months. The articles, several of which were illustrated by a large photograph of Mr Stoimenov, reported on the fraudulent activities of sham investment websites, and falsely linked several of them with Mr Stoimenov. The articles were republished by various websites.
The Statement in Open Court read before Mrs Justice Collins Rice in the High Court today made it clear that Mr Stoimenov had nothing to do with the fraudulent websites. The allegations made against him were entirely untrue.
In recognition of the falsity of the allegations, the Defendant made an offer of amends to Mr Stoimenov; a procedure whereby a newspaper admits its error, publishes an apology and agrees to pay compensation. Pursuant to this offer of amends, the Defendant agreed to publish a full unqualified apology in August 2021, and to pay Mr Stoimenov £75,000 by way of compensation, as well as his legal costs.
The reading of a Statement in Open Court represented an important step in Mr
Stoimenov’s effort to vindicate his reputation following the repeated and prolonged publication of these extremely serious libels.
Mr Stoimenov was represented by Nigel Tait and Mathilde Groppo.