Cliff Richard has settled with the South Yorkshire Police Department in a lawsuit over the handling of a 2014 investigation, but the BBC is still holding out.
In that year, the police launched an investigation into whether Richard was involved with sexual abuse including a raid on his Berkshire home that was covered extensively by the BBC. In the end, no charges were filed against the singer with the authorities claiming lack of evidence.
Richard’s lawsuits charged that the South Yorkshire Police were feeding information about the investigation to the BBC, breaching Richard’s privacy rights. In turn, the suit states that this caused “profound and long lasting” damage to his career. Richard asked for “very substantial” damages from both parties and, if the police and/or BBC were found at fault by the court, they would also be required to reimburse Richard for his legal fees.
On Friday, Richard’s lawyers told the court that the dispute between the singer and the South Yorkshire Police had been settled although the terms were not disclosed.
That leaves the BBC suit and the company is digging in her heals, saying that the singer had used an army of legal representatives that were “disproportionate” with severity of the case. Filings say that Richard had spent over $1 million dollars during the investigation and in filing the suit.
The BBC went on to say “Though not without its legal complexities, this case cannot have required extensive factual investigations on behalf of the claimant: the broadcasts are in the public domain. On any view … the claimant’s incurred costs to date are grossly unreasonable and disproportionate.”
