David Hooper – författare

As Charles Dickens nearly said, 'The law is an asterisk' and in the light of enormously increased public interest in the laws of libel, and the confusions and dramas recently involved, David Hooper's highly readable book will inform and entertain in equal measure. Can you sue for a bad reference, a bouncing cheque or a parking ticket? Are you liable if other people repeat your libel? What do you have to prove to establish libel? The cast-list includes the allegedly boring Ken Barlow, Robert Maxwell, the cuckolded judge in the Alan Clark Diaries, Gillian Taylforth of EastEnders and James Hewitt. There is libel in respect of a Christmas card, the corporation of McDonalds, the House of Nomura, Richard Branson and Jeffrey Archer. In this book, even HELLO magazine gets sued for libel - allegedly.

THE ERA OF WIN AT ALL COSTS, WHETHER LEGAL OR ILLEGAL , IS UPON US. THIS IS THE ERA OF THE SLAPP CASE. Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, or SLAPPs, are designed to censor, intimidate and silence critics of the powerful and wealthy by burdening them with aggressive opposing lawyers, heavy legal costs and deeply intrusive - and sometimes illegal - private investigations until they abandon the case. The UK has the unenviable accolade of being the number one destination for such cases. Billionaire oligarchs, often ex-convicts and linked to organised crime, come here to launder their reputations through suing for libel - even when what's been written about them is entirely true. Even worse, more often than not they either win their cases or scare their opponents into self-censorship, in a devastating blow to investigative journalism, media freedom and the public interest. In this timely, insightful and often shocking book, David Hooper, veteran media lawyer, explores how the power of money enables the very wealthy - including Robert Maxwell, Nadhim Zahawi and McDonald's - to crush their critics through SLAPP tactics. From billionaire oligarchs to powerful corporations, from corrupt politicians to super-rich businesspeople, Hooper describes how those with something to hide tried to stop you knowing about it, how their lawyers were willing to help them and - most importantly - what the government urgently needs to do to stop them.

THE ERA OF WIN AT ALL COSTS,WHETHER LEGAL OR ILLEGAL, IS UPON US. THIS IS THE ERA OF THE SLAPP CASE.Strategic Lawsuits AgainstPublic Participation, or SLAPPs, are designed to intimidate and silence criticsof the wealthy and powerful by confronting them with aggressive and rapacious lawyers,massive legal costs, private investigators, PR companies and hackers.Billionaire oligarchs,corporations and those with skeletons in the cupboard are laundering theirreputations by suing for libel - even when what's been written about them istrue. Their money can overwhelm opponents. Worse still, they compel the mediainto self-censorship - and freedom of speech and the right to information arethe victims.In this timely, insightfuland often shocking book, veteran media lawyer David Hooper explores how thepower of money enables the super-rich to crush their critics through SLAPPs. Fullyupdated with a new chapter on how Mohamed Al Fayed and his enablers used thelaw to cover up his horrific campaign of abuse, Buying Silence explainshow those with something to hide try to stop you knowing about it, how theirlawyers help them do it and - most importantly - what the government urgentlyneeds to do to stop them.