Media & Communications Law
Mom Sued UK Judge for Libel Over Critical Memoir; Jury Now Hearing Case
Posted Nov 19, 2008, 12:54 pm CST
By Martha Neil
The mother of a 51-year-old British barrister who also serves as a part-time London judge has sued her daughter for libel over a critical memoir.
In her 2006 autobiography, Ugly, Constance Briscoe contends that her mother physically and emotionally mistreated her. However, in the case against the judge and her publishers, which is now being heard by a High Court jury, Carmen Briscoe-Mitchell, 74, contends that the memoir is a "piece of fiction," according to the BBC.
The article reports that at least some of Briscoe's 10 siblings are supporting their mother, according to her mother's counsel, and say that Briscoe-Mitchell, a dressmaker who was often the only parent in the home, did the best she could under difficult circumstances.
Additional coverage:
Telegraph: "Judge denies libelling mother over abuse claims"
Independent: "Judge's 'Ugly' memoir is fiction, says mother"