Sad news from London today that Jacqui Thompson's attempt to broaden her appeal against the verdict handed down in the libel case between her and the chief executive of Carmarthenshire County Council earlier this year has been refused.
Jacqui's team had previously been granted leave to appeal on one very narrow legal point relating to a blog post from March 2011 in which she referred to a slush fund, and was hoping to persuade the Appeal Court to re-examine other aspects of the case.
No date has yet been set for the appeal hearing. A fuller report in the South Wales Guardian with some explanatory background can be found here.
A great deal of water has flowed under the bridge since the case was heard in February of this year, including serious questioning of the lawfulness of the council's decision to fund Mr James's counter-claim by the Wales Audit Office. Unfortunately that fell outside the scope of today's review.
The consequences of today's decision are very disappointing for Jacqui and her family, and a number of important matters remain to be resolved, including how the costs of the litigation will be met.
The Wales Audit Office is still also expected to publish its own findings on the libel indemnity, and it may also be about to publish a second report detailing its findings in the row over the chief executive's pension arrangements, although the council's recent decision to back down in that dispute may mean that the report will be quietly shelved.
Monday, December 16, 2013
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