Matthew Hodson (Gatehouse Chambers) as junior counsel and Gary Summers (9BR Chambers) as litigator are instructed for the First and Second Defendants in the high-profile libel case, Marinakis v Karipidis.
Irini Karipidis, the Chairman of Greek Premier League club Aris FC, is facing a libel lawsuit from Evangelos Marinakis, a shipping magnate and the owner of Olympiakos and Nottingham Forest, who is seeking over £2.1 million in damages.
Marinakis alleges that Karipidis engaged in a “smear campaign” featuring “false” claims of being involved in match-fixing, breaching sanctions related to the transporting of oil through his shipping companies and being involved in a high-profile drug trafficking case in Greece. Marinakis claims that the allegations were disseminated via a website, social media, and mobile billboards from November 2023 to March 2024.
The case is widely covered in the press.*
Matthew Hodson and Gary Summers appeared before Deputy High Court Judge, Richard Spearman KC, at the hearing on 31 October 2024.
* The Guardian, ‘Evangelos Marinakis sues Greek rival over alleged ‘smear campaign’’, 31 October 2024
* Reuters, ‘Forest owner Marinakis accused of match-fixing in Greece as rival fights his UK lawsuit’, 31 October 2024
* Daily Mail, ‘Nottingham Forest owner sues Greek rival in British High Court over alleged ‘smear campaign’ which accused him of ‘match-fixing, extortion, fraud and arson”, 31 October 2024
