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03/02/2020 Stocker v Stocker [2019] UKSC 17 (3 April 2019) [Home] [Databases] [World Law] [Multidatabase Search] [Help] [Feedback] United Kingdom Supreme Court You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> United Kingdom Supreme Court >> Stocker v Stocker [2019] UKSC 17 (3 April 2019) URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKSC/2019/17.html Cite as: [2019] WLR(D) 214, [2019] UKSC 17 [New search] [Printable PDF version] [View ICLR summary: [2019] WLR(D) 214] [Help] Hilary Term [2019] UKSC 17 On appeal from: [2018] EWCA Civ 170 JUDGMENT Stocker (Appellant) v Stocker (Respondent) before Lord Reed, Deputy President Lord Kerr Lady Black Lord Briggs Lord Kitchin JUDGMENT GIVEN ON 3 April 2019 Heard on 24 January 2019 Appellant https://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKSC/2019/17.html Respondent 1/16

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Stocker v. Stocker

Case Law

Country

United Kingdom

Country Location

Latitude: 52.32950805122076

Longitude: -1.4047851562500706

Country Location (linked Case Law): United Kingdom

Decision Date: 3 de abr. de 2019

Case Status: In progress

Case Outcome (Procedural)

Reversed Lower Court

Keywords

Defamation
Social Media

Judicial Body: Supreme Court (court of final appeal)

Case Number: [2019] UKSC 17

Case Summary: United Kingdom Supreme Court overturned a defamation ruling against Nicola Stocker for posting on Facebook that her ex-husband, Ronald Stocker, tried to strangle her. On 23 December 2012, in a conversation with the girlfriend of her former husband, Ms. Stocker said that that “he [Mr. Stocker] tried to strangle me.” She also said that her former husband had troubles with the law and violated a non-molestation order. Mr. Stocker sued his former wife for defamation, arguing that in her Facebook statement she falsely claimed that he attempted to kill her and painted him as a dangerous and disreputable person. The first instance and appellate courts ruled for Mr. Stocker on the grounds that a reasonable reader would understand Ms. Stocker’s statements as describing an attempted murder and that calling Mr. Stocker dangerous and disreputable was not justified. The United Kingdom Supreme Court overturned the lower courts’ judgments. Among other things, the Court determined that it was critical to consider that this post was made on Facebook where a reasonable user parsed information quickly and did not reflect on its content, and such a reader would not have determined that Ms. Stocker posted about an attempted killing.

Case Significance: The decision establishes a binding or persuasive precedent within its jurisdiction.

Source Name and URL: Columbia Global Freedom of Expression

Primary Documents

Stocker v Stocker [2019] UKSC 17 (3 April 2019).pdf
English
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CYRILLA: Global Digital Rights Law

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Stocker v. Stocker

Primary Documents

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