Telford man landed with £100,000 bill after libelling American lawyer online
A Telford man has been landed with a £100,000 legal bill after he was taken to court by an American lawyer he libelled online.
Lawyer Timothy Bussey won a £50,000 libel pay out at London's High Court today after Jason Page, also known as Jay Page, of Verbena Way, Sutton Hill, branded him a "scumbag" on Google Maps.
Mr Page must also pay at least £50,000 in legal costs leaving him with a total bill of around £100,000.
He had denied posting the comments on Google Maps but the judge, Sir David Eady, said he was satisfied that Mr Page was guilty of posting the offending comments calling Mr Bussey a "scumbag" and accusing him of paying for false reviews.
He said the defamatory comments were only viewed in Colorado, where Mr Bussey and his company The Bussey Law Firm operated.
The defamatory allegation was posted alongside a number of positive reviews for the firm and the services it offered which rated them as "excellent", said the judge .
He said it "inevitably had the effect of undermining those commendations".
The judge added that the publication was calculated to cause "serious harm" to "Mr Bussey's personal reputation and to his legal practice".
It remained online for about a year and would have been read by a number of searchers and potential clients checking them out.
The damages award was intended to compensate for hurt feelings, distress and injury to reputation.
The judge refused Mr Page permission to appeal but gave him until April 1 to seek permission direct from the Court of Appeal, and stayed payment of the damages and costs until then.
