Buying Silence: How oligarchs, corporations and plutocrats use the law to gag their critics

(Paperback)

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Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, or SLAPPs, are designed to censor, intimidate and silence critics of the powerful and wealthy by burdening them with aggressive opposing lawyers, heavy legal costs and deeply intrusive and sometimes illegal private investigations until they abandon the case.

The UK has the unenviable accolade of being the number one destination for such cases. Billionaire oligarchs, often ex-convicts and linked to organised crime, come here to launder their reputations through suing for libel even when what's been written about them is entirely true. Even worse, more often than not they either win their cases or scare their opponents into self-censorship, in a devastating blow to investigative journalism, media freedom and the public interest.

In this timely, insightful and often shocking book, David Hooper, veteran media lawyer, explores how the power of money enables the very wealthy including Robert Maxwell, Nadhim Zahawi and McDonald's to crush their critics through SLAPP tactics. From billionaire oligarchs to powerful corporations, from corrupt politicians to super-rich businesspeople, Hooper describes how those with something to hide tried to stop you knowing about it, how their lawyers were willing to help them and most importantly what the government urgently needs to do to stop them.

'A terrifying expose of Britain's corrupt judicial system.' Tom Bower

'A beacon of enlightenment, offering hope and solutions against legal bullying. A must-read for advocates of free speech.' Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat

'Terrific ... A very timely book.' Nick Cohen, The Lowdown

'A shocking and vitally important book.' Baroness Helena Kennedy

'What Buying Silence captures especially well is the sheer gall of the age of "alternative facts" in which those who have a surfeit of money are enabled by the legal system in their bids to re-landscape the truth.' Irish Times

Author Bio

David Hooper is a leading media lawyer, having worked with publishers and newspapers in the UK and the US. His previous works include Public Scandal, Odium and Contempt, Official Secrets: The Use and Abuse of the Act and Reputations Under Fire: Winners and Losers in the Libel Business. He lives in Monmouthshire, Wales.