Joey Barton Agrees to Pay Jeremy Vine £75,000 in Damages and Apologizes for Defamatory Posts
Joey Barton has publicly apologized to Jeremy Vine and agreed to pay him £75,000 in damages for defamatory remarks made on social media.
Last month, a High Court judge ruled against the former footballer, determining that his comments about BBC presenter Jeremy Vine on X were defamatory. Vine had sued Barton for libel and harassment over a series of 14 online posts.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Barton expressed remorse for the distress caused to Vine. He acknowledged publishing 11 posts between January 8 and 12, 2024, which falsely accused Vine of having a sexual interest in children. Barton also admitted to spreading misinformation about Vine advocating forced vaccinations during the Covid-19 pandemic, based on a misleadingly edited video clip from Vine's TV program.
"I recognise that this is a very serious allegation. It is untrue. I do not believe that Mr Vine has a sexual interest in children, and I wish to set the record straight," Barton stated in his apology.
Furthermore, Barton acknowledged taunting and abusing Vine for pursuing legal action against him. As part of the settlement to resolve the defamation and harassment claims, Barton agreed not to repeat these false allegations about Vine and apologized directly to him.
To resolve his claims against me in defamation and harassment, I have agreed to pay Mr Vine £75,000 in damages and his legal costs,Barton confirmed.
The conflict between Barton, aged 41, and Vine, aged 59, escalated after Barton's derogatory remarks, including calling Vine a "bike nonce" and "pedo defender." Mrs Justice Steyn's ruling last month concluded that Barton's posts were defamatory towards Vine, who hosts a show on Radio 2.
During the court proceedings, Vine's barrister, Gervase de Wilde, described Barton's actions as a "calculated and sustained attack" on Vine, triggered initially by comments Vine made about Barton's comparison of football pundits to serial killers.
Barton's legal representative, William McCormick KC, argued that Barton's posts contained vulgar abuse but did not meet the legal threshold for libel. He characterized some of the posts as spontaneous reactions and attempts at humorous insults.
The settlement marks the conclusion of a contentious legal battle between the former footballer, now a manager, and the veteran broadcaster, highlighting the repercussions of social media posts in the realm of public figures.
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