It emerged this week that owners of the Telegraph Group, Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay have launched libel proceedings against rival publication, The Times, in the French courts.
The libel action targets the newspaper, its editor Robert Thomson, and its media editor Dan Sabbagh, and hinges on an article published late last year which stated that the Barclay twins had made their fortune buying and selling assets.
According to the legal team representing the Telegraph owners in France, where libel is considered a criminal act, the action was brought when The Times did not respond to a "droit de rèponse" following publication of the article.
The Times reportedly refused to apologise for the remarks made in the 300 word piece, and stated that it did not recognise the jurisdiction of the French criminal courts in the case.
In a statement released this week, Robert Thomson observed that:
"If newspaper proprietors such as the Barclay brothers think it is appropriate to launch this extraordinary case, what signal does it send to more vexatious litigants who would seek to silence the media? No doubt the journalists at the Daily Telegraph itself will have cause to lament this legal legacy."
A verdict on the matter is expected in June.
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