Fake Facebook profile leads to £22,000 court judgement

 

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By Matthew Sparkes

Posted on 24 Jul 2008 at 12:07

The High Court has awarded £22,000 to the subject of a fake and rather unflattering Facebook profile.

Businessman Mathew Firsht discovered that a fake profile had been created in his name by an old school friend, which questioned his sexual orientation and business practices. He promptly took the matter to court.

The profile was added to various groups, including "Gay Jews in London", and also listed various personal information about Firsht.

The defendant claimed that the profile had been created as a joke during a party at his house without his knowledge, but the defence was ruled out by the judge as being "built on lies".

The judge went on to award £15,000 to Firsht for libel, as well as £2,000 for breach of privacy.

Firsht's company was also awarded £5,000 for libel because of allegations made on the profile that it represented a serious financial risk to potential business partners.