High Court Rules Against Barton in Aluko Libel Case

Eni Aluko has won the first stage of her libel case against Joey Barton, with the High Court ruling that his social media posts were defamatory. Barton accused Aluko of 'playing the race card' and made other derogatory statements about her family, which Aluko argued were unwarranted attacks on her identity and integrity. Although the High Court found one of Barton's posts to have a defamatory meaning and another to have a defamatory innuendo, Barton may appeal or defend the statements in a potential trial. Aluko expressed her readiness to continue her case in court if necessary. Separately, Barton is facing a criminal trial for allegedly posting offensive comments with intent to cause distress under the Malicious Communications Act. This libel case highlights broader issues of personal attacks and defamation on social media platforms.