P sued D who published a picture claiming that her husband, X, was due to marry another woman i.e. that he was single. This was after X had claimed it to be the case. P claimed that this implied that she was living “in a state of immoral cohabitation” with a single man. CA found for P.
Scrutton LJ: It is possible to defame people indirectly. E.g. If I claim that X is illegitimate, this defames X’s parents indirectly. Similarly to claim that a man is single is libellous of his wife. It is no defence to say that D did not know of P’s existence since the publisher must bear the risk fo inferences reasonably drawn from his words.
Russell LJ: Liability for libel “does not depend on the intention of the defamer; but on the fact of defamation.The Newspaper is paying a price for failing to inquire as to the truth.
