Woman targeted by transactivist wins damages for libel.

[yourhairiswinterfire]

Some good news. I think a few posters here may be familiar with Jean Hatchet on Twitter.

In 2017 she took part in sponsored bike rides to raise money for a domestic violence charity. Each bike ride represented a woman who has been murdered (she did 300 bike rides!).

She was accused by a transactivist of using the raised funds for something other than the charity (a Fair Play For Women advertisement raising awareness of the proposed changes to the GRA)

She took this to court, and has won £45,000 in damages, plus costs.

Judgement: www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2021/1709.html

Jean's Twitter thread: twitter.com/JeanHatchet/status/1409765574494896129

Really pleased to see this. Will hopefully make the people who love throwing malicious accusations and slurs at GC women think twice.

Congratulations Jean!

Well done Jean

That's brilliant! Congratulations to Jean.

And another case showing that TRAs need to be very careful about bullying GC women.

Here

Wow! I remember this. Bloody fantastic and a remarkable woman.

Oh it's Shanu Varna. I remember them being a particularly abusive TRA. Even better!

Excellent result, well done Jean!

Surely JK Rowling is due a ridiculously large payment for all the disgusting accusations she’s endured the last few years. God I hope she’s planking something behind the scenes.

*planning

Costs and damages awarded at £115,595.40 against the trans activist Shanu Varma

Wow. This was the person who tweeted as FMStomp.

A Joss Prior tweet was cited in the judgment when the extent of damages was decided.

A Joss Prior tweet was cited in the judgment when the extent of damages was decided

Ha ha! Nice one, Joss

Brilliant news. When will people realise that they can't just invent lies and put them on Twitter? I was a bit disappointed that other people who should have known better repeated the libel.

Interesting that the damages awarded were only a third of those awarded against Christian Jessen for the Arlene Foster libel, though that perhaps reflected the fact that Foster is better known and the libel was more widely publicised.

Does anyone think Shanu Varma has the means to pay? I know nothing about this individual.

I realise the important part is the legal victory, but Hatchet has been dealing with this for over two years and quite frankly deserves every bit of that judgment money.

Excellent.

Brilliant Jean. I’ve followed her on Twitter for a long time. She is amazing.

@ShagMeRiggins

Does anyone think Shanu Varma has the means to pay? I know nothing about this individual.

I realise the important part is the legal victory, but Hatchet has been dealing with this for over two years and quite frankly deserves every bit of that judgment money.

Huge congratulations to Jean! It must have been a real arse ache to go through (understatement I know) but what a victory for women.

Shanu Varma can always crowdfund a la Jesson

Very pleased to hear this - well done Jean.

What an interesting and refreshing judgement - very neutral, very cool. And it's a nice route map for others who want to sue for libel / defamation in terms of how to frame a Particulars of Claim.

I note that in the judgement there is a specific reference to a tweet written by Jss Prir, which looks like it repeats the libel.

Mate, you can't just say what you like on Twitter without consequences.

Good. Hopefully, that will reverberate around Twitter.

Interesting that the damages awarded were only a third of those awarded against Christian Jessen for the Arlene Foster libel, though that perhaps reflected the fact that Foster is better known and the libel was more widely publicised.

I remember another MNer posting at the time that it was a high award because it was heard in Northern Ireland amongst Arlene Foster's community (she's a lawyer herself, and a religious woman), who took a hard line against that particular kind of defamation.

Wonderful. I’m so so thrilled about this. Jean highlights appalling abuse of women and she will not let it be swept aside. She can definitely go on the GC superhero list. Marvellous.

Well done Jean!

This case is as simple as it gets in the High Court. The evidence is brief and straightforward, the findings of fact were also straightforward, it's a "judgment in default", there was "no evidence filed by the Defendant", the "Claimant's ... Particulars of Claim" were "unchallenged", and the "hearing proceeded in the absence of the Defendant following a short judgment". It still cost £70,000. That's a massive obstacle for just about everyone.

Excellent news, I doubt Jean will see the money but it sets a precedent. As as people have said surely JKR is due some redress for the horrible abuse and lies she's been subjected to

Wow that's a proper vindication for Jean Hatchet. Good for her and I hope these bullies identifying as some sort of brave activists realise that if they have to rely on spreading smears and lies to prop up their side, then they aren't going to get away with it.

That tide just keeps on turning, doesn't it?

Delighted to see this. Jean has done a powerful thing for the memories of these lost women.