Manleys Solicitors Clinch Libel Victory in Epstein-Connected Lawsuit
In the esteemed High Court of London, Chester’s Manleys Solicitors’ Mark Manley, stood before Mrs Justice Steyn, known from the Wagatha Christie trial in Rooney v Vardy, in a significant legal representation of Emmy Tayler.
The case involved HarperCollins Publishers Ltd (UK), sued by Ms. Tayler following Julie K Brown’s publication, “The Perversion of Justice”, which delved into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal conduct. The book inaccurately implicated Ms. Tayler in aiding Epstein’s crimes and falsely situated her at the residence of the now-deceased criminal when she was in fact far away and had ceased her employment as Maxwell’s junior assistant. Disturbed by the unfounded claim and having actively collaborated with the FBI and other inquiries to support Epstein and Maxwell’s victims, Ms. Tayler alleged her misrepresentation in the book was intentional, an assertion denied by HarperCollins. Yet, in a “meaning hearing” in 2022, Mr Justice Pepperall deemed the publication defamatory to Ms. Tayler, posing a real threat of harm.
Manleys sought swift justice for Ms. Tayler, urging HarperCollins to withdraw unsold editions and stop sales. The solicitors argued that the publisher’s late containment efforts were insufficient.
In a notable development, Mark Manley represented Ms. Tayler in 2023 at an appeal hearing in the Southern District of New York. He also coordinated with legal teams in Miami and New York for actions against “The Perversion of Justice” in the US, alongside the UK defamation suit.
The latest High Court hearing revealed HarperCollins’s “unconditional” apology to Ms. Tayler, admitting the book’s inaccuracies and confirming payment for damages and legal costs. Mark Manley conveyed his client’s relief at obtaining full vindication and an apology from HarperCollins, commenting, “This hearing is the culmination of over 2 years of persistence and resilience by Emmy Tayler. Not many people have the courage to take on one of the World’s largest publishers. Emmy was naturally devastated at the false allegations in the book and was determined to set the record straight. I’m delighted we were able to help her do that in this libel case about false allegations in a book somewhat ironically called ‘The Perversion of Justice’.”
Manleys also recently disclosed representing Nazrin Choudhury, an Oscar-nominated scriptwriter from Los Angeles, following this case’s success.