Actor Noel Clarke is seeking around $12m (£10m) in damages in his defamation suit against The Guardian newspaper.
Clarke has filed the lawsuit in response to eight articles published in The Guardian that accused him of various incidents of abuse by 20 women between 2004 and 2019.
Actor, producer and director, known for work as childhood and its two follow-ups have denied all allegations and said the articles had a “devastating” effect on their careers.
The $12 million figure was obtained by the BBC, which said it had seen documents filed at London’s High Court as part of the defamation claim. If Clarke wins the case, the judge will decide what damages she is entitled to.
As well as claiming general damages for reputational damage, Clarke is also seeking damages that cover specific financial loss. According to the BBC, Clarke claims that The Guardian articles had a “devastating” effect on his finances, with the actor claiming that “every existing or upcoming contract” was canceled following The Guardian’s report .
Clarke claims he has “not had a single working contract” since the first Guardian article about him was published in April 2021. An unfair defamatory campaign was launched against him by the Guardian.
In its reporting, the BBC outlined the specific financial losses highlighted in Clarke’s claim:
Sky TV Show Bulletproof, Series 4
– Fee for appearing in 10 episodes – £585,000
– Writing fee for two episodes – £90,000
– Fee for directing two episodes – £90,000
– Expected royalties – £250,000 (approximate figure)
ITV TV Show Viewpoint, Series 2
– Fee – £270,000
– Expected royalties – £200,000 (approximate figure)
Channel 5 TV show Highwater
– Producer Bonus – £60,000
– BBC TV show Crington
– Producer Bonus – £60,000
studiocanal photo something in the water
– Producer Bonus – £40,000
– former production company Unstoppable
– Minimum wage in 10 years – £1.25m
– Estimated value of shares – £7 million –
legal fees
£245,000
Following this, a High Court judge will oversee the case and determine whether the articles published by The Guardian are defamatory. The first hearing was set for tomorrow. However, Clarke is in the process of instructing new solicitors so the hearing has been rescheduled for later this year.
Clarke had previously filed a simultaneous defamation lawsuit against BAFTA. BAFTA had previously suspended his membership following the allegations and revoked the Outstanding Achievement Award given to him just a week before The Guardian article.
Deadline has reached out to Clarke for comment.