2 Feb, 2010 @ 11:41
1 min read
4

Developers lose six million libel battle

DEVELOPERS behind Ronda’s controversial Los Merinos golf course have lost a six-million euro libel battle.

The bosses behind the double golf course scheme took online magazine el Observador to court over a series of articles on the case over the last few years.

“The judge at Malaga’s court number four threw out the case for the second time, saying that the website had no case to answer for.”

Company JM Legion Espanola claimed that the environmental website and its owner Juan Area deliberately wrote defamatory and damaging articles about the 800-home scheme, that sits in Unesco-protected virgin woodland, near Ronda.

But the judge at Malaga’s court number four threw out the case for the second time, saying that the website had no case to answer for.

The developers had previously sued up to a dozen opponents to the scheme, including three expatriates for seven million euros each for daring to speak out against the scheme.

In a string of cases they accused the campaigners of “slander, coercion, intimidation and threats.”

One of those sued, writer Alastair Boyd, aka Lord Kilmarnock, who died last year, merely told the Olive Press that he believed that golf courses were “not sustainable”.

All of the cases have been thrown out of court or archived.

Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)

Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.

After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.

On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.

This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.

After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.

After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.

As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.

He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.

He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.

Contact jon@theolivepress.es

4 Comments

  1. Jon, this is good news. Any monetary judgment for the victims? Or the victims’ families (e.g. Boyd’s family). Strikes me the developers should be penalized for this ridiculous suit.

  2. This is the third time they have attempted to sue individuals for daring to criticise or reporting on progress at Los Merinos…I agree the developers should not be allowed to ruin people´s lives and put them through huge levels of stress without any proof… and of course recourse..

    we have some new revelations next week… watch this space as they say.

    jon clarke
    olive press editor

  3. The company, JM Legion Espanola, responsible for this destruction should be prosecuted with all the power available to the Junta or the State. The land should be returned to its original wild condition, new trees planted and roads completely erased, all paid for by this company.
    It makes a laughing stock of the entire legal system if the company gets away with it, while demolishing pensioners so-called illegal houses.
    Wake up Junta, we’re laughing at you!!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Previous Story

Wildcat back on the prowl

Next Story

Marmalade heads home

Latest from Malaga

Go toTop