High Court Awards Claimant '45,000 Damages In Twitter Libel Claim

• Published date: 19 July 2021
• Subject Matter: Corporate/Commercial Law, Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration, Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment, Charities & Non-Profits , IT and Internet, Trials & Appeals & Compensation, Libel & Defamation, Social Media
• Law Firm: Wiggin
• Author: Ms Adelaide Lopez

The claimant, publicly known as Jean Hatchet, is a feminist campaigner with a particular focus on violence against women and girls. She uses a pseudonym due to concerns for her and her family's safety arising from threats of violence (including sexual assault) for her campaigning work. She uses the Twitter handle @JeanHatchet, which has between 9,000 and 14,000 followers. In 2017, Ms Hatchet started a series of sponsored bicycle rides to raise funds for a domestic violence charity, which she advertised on her Twitter account.

In October 2018, Ms Hatchet was a vocal opponent of proposals to reform the Gender Recognition Act 2004 to enable self-identification rather than medical certification to be the basis of a legal change in gender. She supported the rights of biologically female women and girls to single sex spaces.

Following publication by a small feminist campaigning group, Fair Play for Women, of a full-page ad in the Metro Newspaper to promote awareness of the Government consultation on the proposed legislative reforms and to encourage...