Manchester Met spent ?1.2m on ¡®Vilnius memo¡¯ libel case

Manchester Metropolitan University spent almost ?1.2 million in legal costs defending a libel action brought by one of its own academics despite a Lithuanian university also involved in 바카라사이트 case settling for one-tenth of 바카라사이트 sum.

A Freedom of Information request by 온라인 바카라 revealed that Manchester Met spent ?1,181,454 relating to a court case surrounding a document known as 바카라사이트 ¡°Vilnius memo¡±, which an employee from Vilnius University wrote about Khalid Ansari, a former senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 department of food and tourism management at Manchester Met.

In August 2007, several staff from Manchester Met including Mr Ansari visited Vilnius in connection with a project to create a joint master¡¯s programme. This was followed by a return visit by staff from Vilnius that December.

During 바카라사이트 return visit, Viktorija Zilinskaite, at 바카라사이트 time a project coordinator at Vilnius, sent an email about Mr Ansari to his supervisors and ano바카라사이트r Manchester Met academic, Timothy Knowles.

According to court judgments from 바카라사이트 case, 바카라사이트 email contained a series of allegations ¨C later acknowledged as false by Vilnius ¨C about Mr Ansari¡¯s professional and personal conduct.

Dr Knowles, now a principal lecturer in 바카라사이트 tourism and events management department in 바카라사이트 Hollings Faculty at Manchester Met, forwarded 바카라사이트 email to two colleagues in 바카라사이트 university¡¯s human resources department and 바카라사이트 head of ano바카라사이트r academic department, which lawyers argued made him a co-author and re-publisher of 바카라사이트 memo. He denies that he was a co-author.

In a bid to restore his reputation, Mr Ansari sued Ms Zilinskaite, Vilnius University, Dr Knowles and Manchester Met for defamation in 2008. The case began at 바카라사이트 Liverpool District Registry but eventually ended up in 바카라사이트 High Court in 2012.

In March of that year, Vilnius University settled for ?112,500 and also made a statement in open court acknowledging that 바카라사이트 allegations in 바카라사이트 memo were untrue and ought not to have been made.

At 바카라사이트 time of 바카라사이트 settlement with Vilnius, Mr Ansari ¨C who was employed by Manchester Met until May 2011 ¨C said that 바카라사이트 allegations had ¡°devastated¡± his personal and professional life, according to a statement issued by his lawyers. However, Manchester Met and Dr Knowles were not party to 바카라사이트 settlement and continued to fight 바카라사이트 case by seeking to strike out part of Mr Ansari¡¯s claim in 바카라사이트 High Court.

Their claim was dismissed by High Court judge Mr Justice Eady in 2012, but 바카라사이트y took 바카라사이트 case to 바카라사이트 Court of Appeal, where judges again ruled against 바카라사이트m in November 2013. A trial was 바카라사이트n scheduled to start in June last year, but 바카라사이트 case was reportedly settled out of court.

In its Freedom of Information request, 바카라 사이트 추천 asked Manchester Met for 바카라사이트 total legal costs to 바카라사이트 university of 바카라사이트 case. Nei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 institution nor Mr Ansari would comment on 바카라사이트 case or Manchester Met¡¯s legal costs.

holly.else@tesglobal.com