‘Leading businessman’ slaps injunction on The Telegraph in latest #MeToo scandal
The #MeToo movement which has done so much to expose sexual harassment and abuse of staff shows no sign of slowing down amid reports that a ‘leading businessman’ has been granted an injunction against The Telegraph to prevent it from reporting alleged misconduct.
Injunction served against The Telegraph by a ‘leading businessman’ in latest #MeToo scandal
As a result of the legal block the paper is unable to discuss the case in detail but that hasn’t prevented it from skirting round the edges, claiming that its story "would be sure to reignite the #MeToo movement against the mistreatment of women, minorities and others by powerful employers".
Over the past eight months The Telegraph has investigated "allegations of bullying, intimidation and sexual harassment made against the businessman" and now believes it has enough evidence to publish but has been prevented from doing so by Sir Terence Etherton – the most senior judge in England and Wales.
The unnamed individual is said to have made use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence victims, raising fears that a legal procedure intended to protect commercial confidentiality is being subverted to hide malpractice.
A 20-page ruling refers to the accused simply as "ABC" and labels the accusations as "discreditable conduct". It goes onto reveal that "substantial payments" have been issued to five people as part of "settlement agreements".
The Telegraph’s carefully worded report goes on to argue that there is a "clear public interest in publishing the claims", protesting that it has been unfairly "gagged" by the courts.
Shocking allegations concerning the activities of American movie mogul Harvey Weinstein last year kicked off the global #MeToo social media phenomenon which shows no sign of dying down.
Read more: what can and can't be published by the press and social media users because of this injunction.
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