Noel Clarke ordered to pay at least £3 million in Guardian costs over sexual misconduct reporting

The High Court has ordered Noel Clarke to pay at least £3 million of Guardian News and Media's costs after he pursued a lawsuit over the publisher's reporting of sexual misconduct allegations against him. Clarke, 49, challenged seven Guardian articles and a related podcast, including an April 2021 report that said 20 women who knew him professionally had come forward with allegations.

Clarke denied the claims and argued the reporting was not substantially true. In a judgment issued last month, Mrs Justice Steyn found Guardian News and Media's reporting to be true and in the public interest.

At a High Court hearing, Gavin Millar KC, for Guardian News and Media, said the publisher's total costs exceeded £6 million and asked the court to order an interim payment of about half that amount, noting that as many as 40,000 documents, including audio recordings and transcripts, had to be reviewed. Clarke had originally sought damages of £10 million, which later rose to £40 million, then £70 million, as the case progressed.

In the judgment, Steyn said Clarke was not a credible or reliable witness and had shown a general pattern of only admitting what was supported by documentary evidence. The defendant had also claimed that a conspiracy among the newspaper and several accusers was intended to destroy his career, a claim the court rejected as a factor in increasing costs.

Clarke, who represented himself at the hearing, told the court his legal team had resigned due to limited funding and asked the court to consider both the law and the human reality of the proceedings. He said he had used ChatGPT to help prepare his response, and described the proposed costs order as excessive and inflated, arguing that a crushing order would punish his family. He said: 'I have not been vexatious and I have not tried to play games with the court,' and noted the financial and health toll on his household.

The judge ruled that Clarke must pay £3 million within 28 days, with the detailed assessment to determine the final amount beyond that interim sum. The overall bill for Guardian News and Media's defence is expected to exceed £6 million.