In a landmark session at the High Court in London, Mark Manley of Chester’s Manleys Solicitors stood before Mrs Justice Steyn, famed for the Wagatha Christie trial in Rooney v Vardy, to plead the case of Emmy Tayler.
Ms. Tayler had brought a case against HarperCollins Publishers Ltd (UK) after the publication of Julie K Brown’s “The Perversion of Justice,” which delves into the criminal actions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The book inaccurately associated Ms. Tayler with aiding Epstein’s criminal endeavors and erroneously placed her at the criminal’s home when she was actually far removed both in distance and time from her role as Maxwell’s junior assistant. This false representation deeply troubled Ms. Tayler, particularly as she had diligently worked with the FBI and other investigations to help the victims of Epstein and Maxwell. Ms. Tayler argued that her incorrect portrayal in the book was deliberate, which HarperCollins refuted. However, Mr Justice Pepperall found at a 2022 “meaning hearing” that the book defamed Ms. Tayler and could likely cause her significant harm.
Manleys sought immediate action for Ms. Tayler, demanding HarperCollins withdraw remaining stock and cease further sales. The solicitors contended the publisher’s late attempts at limiting the book’s reach were insufficient.
Mark Manley took a significant step by appearing on behalf of Ms. Tayler in the Southern District of New York during an appeal hearing in late 2023. In a parallel effort to the UK defamation case, he also arranged for legal action against “The Perversion of Justice” in the United States by engaging lawyers in Miami and New York.
At the recent High Court hearing, HarperCollins issued an “unconditional” apology to Ms. Tayler, acknowledging the book’s errors and confirmed that it had compensated Ms. Tayler for damages and her legal fees. Mark Manley expressed his client’s satisfaction at achieving full vindication and receiving HarperCollins’s apology, stating, “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’.”
Following this victory, Manleys announced its role in representing Nazrin Choudhury, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter from Los Angeles.
