Privacy Law - Example of Privacy Breach

Ashley Cole says kiss and tell stories violated privacy

Court told: 'Ashley Cole has no case for privacy invasion'

Footballer Ashley Cole filed for breach of privacy over stories which claimed he had, had affairs while married to wife Cheryl Cole. Cole said in the writ that some of the information in the stories was false and invented, but said that this legal action would not distinguish between true and false information. This is where he started to lie saying that the truth would come out that he hadn’t done anything and all the girls were lying. Whereas Cole was just getting himself into more lies.

He launched actions against Mirror, publisher, MGN and Sun publisher News Group Newspapers, seeking an estimated £200,000 from each of the stories published in January and February 2011. The claim was made in defense of two actions 27-year-old defender Cole has launched against the Daily Mirror and Sun for alleged invasion of privacy over stories about his sex life that he claimed to be lies.
Cole argued in the writ that he does not hold any public office or carry out any official duties, and information about his sex life "was not capable of contributing to a debate in a democratic society relating to matters of public interest".

I think that it was right to put the stories in the press because there in the spotlight so anything that happens is going to be found out. He paid some of the girls to keep his secret but because the papers offered them more money back anyway so it all came out. He shouldn’t have done it and should have known everyone was going to find out.

If a non famous person had an affair it wouldn’t be published because no one wants to read about it because no one knows them whereas any chance to earn some money with breaching privacy the press will publish a story.

Cole’s counsel, David Sherborne tried to appeal and fight back for him by telling senior High Court official Deputy Master Bard the articles contained, “private information which represents an unjustified intrusion into his private life concerning alleged sexual relationships he had with three women”.
The outcome of the case was that it wasn’t a breach of privacy because his life is all over everywhere and he’s famous.