Peter Carter-Ruck
Encyclopedia
Peter Frederick Carter-Ruck (26 February 1914, Steyning
, West Sussex
– 19 December 2003, Uttlesford
, Essex
) was an English
lawyer, specialising in libel cases. The firm he founded, Carter-Ruck
, is still practising.
, Oxford
. He spent three months in Germany
during the 1930s, observing the rising popularity of Hitler, an experience that greatly affected him. Upon his return, he trained as a solicitor
.
Carter-Ruck did not speak to his daughter, Julie Scott-Bayfield, for many years. His son Brian died in a sailing accident in 1973. His wife Ann Maxwell died in March 2003, after 62 years of marriage during which time they appeared to be inseparable. Carter-Ruck himself died nine months later.
during World War II
, joining as a gunner and obtaining his commission in 1940. The same year, he married Ann, while on leave. By the time he left the armed forces in 1944, he was a Captain.
Carter-Ruck's first major case was defending the Bolton Evening News successfully against a libel action brought by the Labour
MP Bessie Braddock
, who, they had claimed, had danced a jig in Parliament. He worked for many years at Oswald Hickson Collier & Co and set up his own firm in 1981 when it was suggested that he should retire.
He was known for several high-profile cases against British media outlets such as Private Eye
, the BBC
and Channel 4
. His clients included Princess Elizabeth of Toro
, Jani Allan
, Randolph Churchill
and Sir James Goldsmith
, plus many politicians including Neil Hamilton
, Gerald Howarth
, Cecil Parkinson
, Norman Lamont, Robert Maxwell
and Harold Wilson
. He also represented Laurence Olivier
, Spike Milligan
, Cary Grant
and Ranulph Fiennes
.
He did legal aid
work, and said it was wrong for successful firms to decline it. He was frequently referred to by Private Eye, a regular target of his libel cases, as "Peter Carter-Fuck". Despite being ousted from the firm bearing his name, he continued to act on many high-profile cases during the 1990s. In 1989 he criticised the £600,000 pay-out to Sonia Sutcliffe, who sued Private Eye for libel, as excessive. The amount was later reduced to £60,000 on appeal.
In December 1995, Carter Ruck acted for the royal
nanny
Tiggy Legge-Bourke
, in the matter of an allegation against her by Diana, Princess of Wales
, that she had aborted Charles's child.
At one time, he was the oldest practising solicitor in the country. He finally retired in 1998.
editor Derek Jameson
had been advised by Carter-Ruck that if he sued the BBC
over their portrayal of him in a Week Ending
sketch, he would win at least £25,000 in damages. The barrister
in the case, David Eady
QC
, however advised Carter-Ruck to accept the BBC's offer to settle for £10 (sic) plus costs. Carter Ruck did not disclose this advice to his client. The jury found the broadcast defamatory, but also fair comment and Jameson had to pay costs, receiving a bill for £41,342.50 from Carter-Ruck. Jameson learned by chance of the QC's advice and Carter-Ruck's former partner
David Hooper claimed that "Carter-Ruck told him a string of lies". Carter-Ruck later claimed that he did not want to undermine Jameson's morale in court.
Steyning
Steyning is a small town and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, four miles north of Shoreham-by-Sea...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
– 19 December 2003, Uttlesford
Uttlesford
Uttlesford is a local government district in Essex, England. Its council is based in Saffron Walden.Its name is derived from the ancient Hundred of the same name....
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
lawyer, specialising in libel cases. The firm he founded, Carter-Ruck
Carter-Ruck
Carter-Ruck is a British law firm founded by Peter Carter-Ruck.According to their website they specialise in libel, privacy, international law and commercial litigation....
, is still practising.
Personal life
Carter-Ruck was educated at St Edward's SchoolSt Edward's School (Oxford)
St. Edward's School is a co-educational independent boarding school located in Oxford, England. The school is located on the Woodstock Road in the north of the city close to the suburb of Summertown. In 2007 it was voted by the Country Life Magazine as number one in the top ten schools in the UK...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. He spent three months in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
during the 1930s, observing the rising popularity of Hitler, an experience that greatly affected him. Upon his return, he trained as a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
.
Carter-Ruck did not speak to his daughter, Julie Scott-Bayfield, for many years. His son Brian died in a sailing accident in 1973. His wife Ann Maxwell died in March 2003, after 62 years of marriage during which time they appeared to be inseparable. Carter-Ruck himself died nine months later.
Career
Soon after qualifying as a solicitor, Carter-Ruck served in the Royal ArtilleryRoyal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, joining as a gunner and obtaining his commission in 1940. The same year, he married Ann, while on leave. By the time he left the armed forces in 1944, he was a Captain.
Carter-Ruck's first major case was defending the Bolton Evening News successfully against a libel action brought by the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP Bessie Braddock
Bessie Braddock
Elizabeth Margaret Braddock JP , better known as Bessie Braddock, was a British Labour politician...
, who, they had claimed, had danced a jig in Parliament. He worked for many years at Oswald Hickson Collier & Co and set up his own firm in 1981 when it was suggested that he should retire.
He was known for several high-profile cases against British media outlets such as Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. His clients included Princess Elizabeth of Toro
Princess Elizabeth of Toro
Princess Elizabeth Christobel Edith Bagaaya Akiiki of Toro is the Batebe of the Kingdom of Toro. She is a Ugandan lawyer, politician, diplomat, model and actress. She was the first female East African to be admitted to the English Bar. She is a paternal aunt of the current King of Toro, Oyo Nyimba...
, Jani Allan
Jani Allan
Jani Allan is a South African columnist and radio commentator. She became a household name as a columnist for the Sunday Times where she worked between 1979-90. She is also known for her alleged affair with an interviewee, the late right-wing political leader Eugène Terre'Blanche...
, Randolph Churchill
Randolph Churchill
Major Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer-Churchill, MBE was the son of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Preston from 1940 to 1945....
and Sir James Goldsmith
James Goldsmith
Sir James Michael "Jimmy" Goldsmith was an Anglo-French billionaire financier and tycoon. Towards the end of his life, he became a magazine publisher and a politician. In 1994, he was elected to represent France as a Member of the European Parliament and he subsequently founded the short-lived...
, plus many politicians including Neil Hamilton
Neil Hamilton (politician)
Mostyn Neil Hamilton is a former British barrister, teacher and Conservative MP. Since losing his seat in 1997 and leaving politics, Hamilton and his wife Christine have become media celebrities...
, Gerald Howarth
Gerald Howarth
James Gerald Douglas Howarth known as Gerald Howarth is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Aldershot since 1997, having been the MP for Cannock and Burntwood from 1983 to 1992....
, Cecil Parkinson
Cecil Parkinson
Cecil Parkinson, Baron Parkinson, PC , is a British Conservative politician and former Cabinet Minister.-Early life:...
, Norman Lamont, Robert Maxwell
Robert Maxwell
Ian Robert Maxwell MC was a Czechoslovakian-born British media proprietor and former Member of Parliament , who rose from poverty to build an extensive publishing empire...
and Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
. He also represented Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
, Spike Milligan
Spike Milligan
Terence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan Hon. KBE was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier and actor. His early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the...
, Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
and Ranulph Fiennes
Ranulph Fiennes
Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet, OBE , better known as Ranulph Fiennes, is a British adventurer and holder of several endurance records. He is also a prolific writer. Fiennes served in the British Army for eight years including a period on counter-insurgency service while...
.
He did legal aid
Legal aid
Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people otherwise unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to counsel and the right to a fair trial.A number of...
work, and said it was wrong for successful firms to decline it. He was frequently referred to by Private Eye, a regular target of his libel cases, as "Peter Carter-Fuck". Despite being ousted from the firm bearing his name, he continued to act on many high-profile cases during the 1990s. In 1989 he criticised the £600,000 pay-out to Sonia Sutcliffe, who sued Private Eye for libel, as excessive. The amount was later reduced to £60,000 on appeal.
In December 1995, Carter Ruck acted for the royal
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
nanny
Nanny
A nanny, childminder or child care provider, is an individual who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service...
Tiggy Legge-Bourke
Tiggy Legge-Bourke
Alexandra Shân "Tiggy" Legge-Bourke MVO was nanny, later companion, to Prince William of Wales and his brother Prince Harry, and a personal assistant to Charles, Prince of Wales, between 1993 and 1999...
, in the matter of an allegation against her by Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
, that she had aborted Charles's child.
At one time, he was the oldest practising solicitor in the country. He finally retired in 1998.
Criticism
In 1980, the Daily ExpressDaily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
editor Derek Jameson
Derek Jameson
Derek Jameson is a retired British tabloid journalist and broadcaster.As a child, Jameson was evacuated from London in WW2...
had been advised by Carter-Ruck that if he sued the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
over their portrayal of him in a Week Ending
Week Ending
Week Ending... was a satirical radio current affairs sketch show, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4, usually on Friday evenings. It was devised by writer/producers Simon Brett and David Hatch, and was originally hosted by Nationwide presenter Michael Barratt.The show's title was always announced as...
sketch, he would win at least £25,000 in damages. The barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
in the case, David Eady
David Eady
Sir David Eady , styled The Hon. Mr Justice Eady, in legal writing Eady J, is a High Court judge in England and Wales. As a judge he is known for having presided over many high-profile libel and privacy cases....
QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, however advised Carter-Ruck to accept the BBC's offer to settle for £10 (sic) plus costs. Carter Ruck did not disclose this advice to his client. The jury found the broadcast defamatory, but also fair comment and Jameson had to pay costs, receiving a bill for £41,342.50 from Carter-Ruck. Jameson learned by chance of the QC's advice and Carter-Ruck's former partner
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
David Hooper claimed that "Carter-Ruck told him a string of lies". Carter-Ruck later claimed that he did not want to undermine Jameson's morale in court.
External links
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1112022,00.html'The Carter-Ruck chill', The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
comment, December 2003] - Peter Carter-Ruck obituary, Daily Telegraph, 22 December 2003