BBC Seeks Stay on Gerry Adams Defamation Damages, Costs

The BBC has been ordered to pay former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams €100,000 in damages after a jury found that a 2016 Spotlight programme and related online article defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Féin official Denis Donaldson. The court also determined that the BBC acted in bad faith and was neither fair nor reasonable in its reporting. The BBC is seeking a stay on the payment of damages and legal costs, which may be as high as €3 million, to allow time to consider an appeal against the verdict. Adams described the allegation as a "grievous smear," while the BBC called the legal action a "cynical attempt to launder his reputation." The original broadcast included claims from an anonymous source that Adams gave "the final say" on the killing, which Adams denies. The jury rejected the BBC's defense that the publication was fair, reasonable, and in the public interest, affirming Adams' full vindication in the case.