Fiercely intellectual, meticulous in her preparation and attention to detail and provides shrewd advice far beyond her year of call. She is wonderfully understated when packing a punch and fantastic with client.
Recent cases
Defamation
Richard Lynton-Jones v Baroness Michelle Mone (2022) – acted for Baroness Mone in a libel action arising from comments published by her to the Guardian and via her Instagram page.
Christopher Chandler v Chris Bryant MP (2022) – libel action successfully brought in relation to allegations of money laundering first made in Parliament (led by Adrienne Page KC). Hannah has acted for Mr Chandler and the Legatum Institute on a range of matters, some of which are ongoing.
Kamirih v Facebook & Ors (2022) – Hannah acted for Facebook in successfully defending an action brought against various internet and technology companies.
Baltaci v Refinitiv Limited (2021) – acted for the Defendant in a libel action brought in relation to Mehmet Baltaci’s “nonconviction terror” categorisation in World-Check.
The Corporate Macfarlanes Defendants v Amec Building Ltd (2020) – acted in Part 20 proceedings brought by the construction companies which comprised the largest group of Defendants in The Construction Industry Vetting Information Group Litigation.
Danielle Hindley v Associated Newspapers Ltd (2020) – Hannah acted for the Claimant in a libel action successfully brought over false allegations in the Mail on Sunday that Ms Hindley was a “rogue beautician” who had “botched” treatments.
The Construction Industry Vetting Information Group Litigation (2014-2020) – for the largest group of Defendant construction companies, led by Andrew Caldecott KC and Edmund Nourse KC, in this high-profile group litigation concerning the alleged blacklisting of construction workers.
Kennedy v National Trust for Scotland [2019] EWCA Civ 648 – for the National Trust for Scotland, prior to maternity leave, in this important libel and data protection matter concerning issues of forum and service.
Paul Lunt v Times Newspapers Limited (2018) – for solicitor Mr Lunt, led by Manuel Barca KC, in a libel action successfully brought in relation to an article published in the Times Newspaper which wrongly identified Mr Lunt as the subject of a serious allegation of criminality.
Lachaux v AOL (UK) Ltd [2017] EWCA Civ 1334 – for AOL, led by Manuel Barca KC and, in the Court of Appeal, by Andrew Caldecott KC, in the first-of-its-kind trial of the preliminary issue of serious harm under section 1 of the Defamation Act 2013.
Rightio Ltd v Twitter Inc. (2016) – for Twitter in relation to an application to disclose information concerning account holders alleged to have published defamatory Tweets.
Gloster v Macmillan Publishers Ltd (2016) – successful strike-out application made on behalf of Macmillan Publishers in relation to an article published in the well-known scientific journal, Nature.
Melvyn Cartwright v Dai Havard MP (2014) – for Member of Parliament, Mr Havard, in a successful application to strike out a defamation claim in the High Court in Cardiff.
Todd v BBC (2014) – for the BBC in relation to an application to disclose information concerning an individual said to have posted a defamatory comment on the BBC News website.
Hank Roberts v Times Newspapers Ltd (2013) – for Mr Roberts, the president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, in an action against the Sunday Times.
Cairns v Modi [2012] EWCA Civ 1382 – instructed to assist Andrew Caldecott KC in this successful appeal concerning the award of damages in libel actions, with specific responsibility for submissions concerning ‘the grapevine effect’.
Bento v The Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police [2012] EWHC 1525 – for the Defendant police force (with Catrin Evans KC and led by Richard Rampton KC) in a libel action concerning a murder conviction and later acquittal.
Privacy / Data Protection
CR and 473 Ors v Equiniti (ongoing- judgment awaited) – led by Andrew Sharland KC, acting for pension provider, Equiniti, in relation to a claim brought by police officers regarding the sending of their pension statements to outdated addresses. Equiniti has applied to strike out on the basis of triviality.
The Environmental Information Regulations Litigation (ongoing- six week trial listed for November 2023) – led by Timothy Pitt-Payne KC and Edmund Nourse KC for the water companies in what will be a seminal decision regarding the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
Collins v Crossrail & Ors (2021-) – acting for ten of the sixteen Defendants, led by Anya Proops KC, in relation to alleged blacklisting and the Crossrail Project.
Calvin Ayre v Refinitiv Limited (2021) – acted for the Defendant, led by Anya Proops KC, in a matter concerning the Claimant’s World-Check profile and his categorisation as a “politically exposed person”.
Horsfall v Google LLC (2021) – acted for Google in successfully seeking an order that the court had no jurisdiction to try a ‘right to be forgotten’ claim.
The Corporate Macfarlanes Defendants v Amec Building Ltd (2020) – see above.
The Construction Industry Vetting Information Group Litigation (2014-2019) – see above.
Kennedy v National Trust for Scotland [2019] EWCA Civ 648 – (see above).
Bains & Ors v Moore & Ors v Wetherby Select Ltd & Ors (2017-2018) – acted for various Non-Parties in relation to privacy, breach of confidence and data protection proceedings concerning alleged corporate espionage and the asbestos industry (led by Manuel Barca KC).
Khuja v Times Newspapers Ltd & Others [2017] UKSC 49 – for the Claimant, led by Manuel Barca KC, in an application for an interim non-disclosure order preventing the identity of the Claimant as an arrestee from being disclosed by The Times newspaper. The case gave rise to a landmark privacy decision of the Supreme Court.
Daley v Griffiths (2017) – instructed in relation to a complaint by the Olympic diver Tom Daley concerning the destruction of images and video footage obtained via private communications.
Bonham-Smith v Google UK Ltd (2016) – for Google UK in a successful application to strike out a claim brought on ‘right to be forgotten’ grounds.
Henry Herbert Ltd v Google UK Ltd (2016) – instructed by Google UK in relation to an allegedly defamatory review of the Claimant’s business posted on the ‘Google My Business’ platform.
Secondment to the BBC in order to provide data protection advice (2015) – this followed the alleged disclosure of information by a researcher who had worked for an independent production team in relation to a BBC Panorama investigation into Lutfur Rahman, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets.
Higgins v Totaljobs Group Ltd (2013) – successfully defended a claim brought on data protection grounds against Totaljobs Group Ltd, the UK’s largest online recruitment company.
Inquiries / Inquests:
The Hillsborough inquests (2014) – assisted the BBC Litigation Department in relation to the release of footage for use at the inquests.
The Pollard review into sexual allegations against Jimmy Savile (2013) – instructed as junior counsel by the BBC Litigation Department and the BBC Trust in order to advise on the release to the general public of those documents underlying the Pollard report.
The Leveson inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press (2012) – drafted legal submissions on behalf of Associated Newspapers Ltd, Guardian News & Media Ltd and the Telegraph Media Group Ltd.
