Noel Clarke Drops Libel Claims Against BAFTA, Conde Nast But May Continue Legal Action Against Guardian Over Sexual Harassment Article
07.09.2022 - 19:13
/ variety.com
K.J. Yossman Noel Clarke has apparently dropped his claims against BAFTA, Conde Nast and the Guardian writers who reported at least 20 allegations of harassment and bullying against the actor and director. Last May journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne published a long piece in which they detailed numerous allegations against Clarke. It was published just weeks after Clarke collected a BAFTA award for outstanding British contribution to cinema. The fall-out was swift and wide, with the award and his BAFTA membership suspended, while ITV pulled the season finale of primetime drama “Viewpoint,” in which Clarke was starring at the time.
In April of this year, exactly 12 months after the article was published, Clarke filed a claim for defamation at the High Court in London. He listed 12 defendants including BAFTA, the Guardian, Kale and Osbourne as well as one of his accusers, Jahannah James, who claimed he had secretly filmed her naked.
According to the latest court filings, however, all of those defendants – bar Guardian News & Media Ltd – have been deleted from the action. A source tells Variety that at least one of those defendants was never even served. Given more than four months have now expired since he filed his defamation claim, Clarke is now out of time for service. “We note that Noel Clarke has dropped his legal action against BAFTA,” said a spokesperson for the organization. “The serious misconduct alleged in first-hand testimonies and published in The Guardian newspaper is contrary to the standards expected of a BAFTA member and the values we uphold as an arts charity and Academy. We stand by our decision to suspend his honorary award and membership as soon as the detailed allegations came to light.” As
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