Anna Johnston

Anna Johnston is a Partner at Taylor Hampton. She joined the firm in 2012 and qualified as a solicitor in April 2015.

Since joining the firm, Anna has gained extensive experience in media law, including phone and email hacking, defamation, privacy, data protection, and breach of intellectual property rights. She has been involved in many high-profile privacy disputes and participated in several actions for injunctions, as well as successfully defending a commercial injunction. Anna is also experienced in civil litigation, including professional negligence, clinical negligence, personal injury, commercial litigation, and contractual disputes.

Prior to joining Taylor Hampton, she read English Literature and Linguistics at the University of Aberdeen where she gained a Master of Arts. She completed her Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course at BPP University College, which she passed with a commendation.

Anna is also fluent in Polish.

Contact Anna Johnston

DD: 020 7427 5297

Anna’s recent cases include:

BVC v EWF [2018] EWHC 2674 (Admin)
Privacy – misuse of private information – injunction – internet publication – contested jurisdiction – blackmail – harassment.

Anna acts for the Claimant in this action for misuse of private information, harassment and blackmail. At hearing of this matter on 5 October 2018, the court considered the Defendant’s application (1) contesting jurisdiction, and (2) seeking to set aside service of proceedings on the basis that service was invalid.

Applying for the first time in this jurisdiction the findings of the CJEU in eDate Adverstising GmbH v X, the court dismissed the Defendant’s application. Notably, this is the first case to consider these jurisdictional matters in the context of misuse of private information.

A copy of the judgment can be found here.

Demouh v Westminster City Council (unreported)
Privacy – misuse of private information –Data Protection Act 1998 – data protection.

Anna assisted partner Patrick Daulby in these proceedings for misuse of private information and breach of the Claimant’s rights under the Data Protection Act 1988. in this matter and facilitated the successful settlement of the Claimant’s claim against the Defendant which settled before the issue of proceedings.

Demouh v Times Newspapers Limited (unreported)
Privacy – misuse of private information – Data Protection Act 1998 – data protection.

We acted for the Claimant in this matter for misuse of private information and breach of the Claimant’s rights under the Data Protection Act 1988. Anna assisted partner Patrick Daulby in this matter which successfully settled before trial.

Anna attended a hearing before Mr Justice Warby to read the Claimant’s statement in open court which detailed the damage and distress caused by the Defendant’s actions in obtaining and publishing her confidential information.

A copy of the Statement in Open Court can be found here.

Grant Stott v Mirror Group Newspapers Limited (unreported)
Privacy – misuse of private information – phone hacking.

Anna assisted partner Patrick Daulby in acting for Grant Stott, the Claimant, a radio presenter and the brother of John Leslie, in relation to the settlement of his phone hacking claim against Mirror Group Newspapers Limited (“MGN”).

This matter successfully settled at a pre-action stage. As part of the settlement, the Defendant read a statement in open court in which it acknowledged and apologised for the stress and damage caused to the Claimant by its intrusion into his privacy.

A copy of the Statement in Open Court can be found here.

Lexia Stott v Mirror Group Newspapers Limited (unreported)
Privacy – misuse of private information – phone hacking.

Anna assisted partner Patrick Daulby in acting for Lexia Stott, the Claimant, and the mother of John Leslie a former television presenter, in relation to the settlement of her phone hacking claim against Mirror Group Newspapers Limited (“MGN”).

This matter successfully settled at a pre-action stage. As part of the settlement, the Defendant read a statement in open court in which it acknowledged and apologised for the stress and damage caused to the Claimant by its intrusion into her privacy.

A copy of the Statement in Open Court can be found here.

Hames v Newsgroup Newspapers Limited (unreported)
Privacy – misuse of private information – phone hacking.

Taylor Hampton acted for the Jacqui Hames, the Claimant, the former detective and Crimewatch host, in relation to the settlement of the phone hacking claim against News Group Newspapers Limited (“NGN”).

Anna attended a hearing before Mr Justice Mann to read the Claimant’s statement in open court. The Defendant apologised for the damage and distress caused to the Claimant by its harassment and obtaining of her confidential information.

A copy of the Statement in Open Court can be found here , together with Taylor Hampton’s press release.

Lachaux v (1) Independent Print Limited (2) Evening Standard Ltd [2015] EWHC 3677 (QB)
Defamation – serious harm – Defamation Act 2013

Anna assisted partners Daniel Taylor and Patrick Daulby in these proceedings for defamation. In a landmark decision the court applied for the first time the test of serious harm under the Defamation Act 2013. The First Defendant’s appeal to the Supreme Court is currently ongoing.

Radford and another v Frade and others [2014] All ER (D) 06
Commercial dispute – breach of contract – Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 – cross jurisdiction – injunction.

Anna assisted partner Patrick Daulby in acting for the First, Second, Fourth and Fifth Defendants in their defence of injunction proceedings resulting from a multi-jurisdictional film co-production agreement. The Defendants were successful in setting aside an injunction and striking out the Claimants’ claim at an interim hearing. The Claimants’ were refused permission to appeal.

A copy of the judgment can be found here.

Leslie v Newsgroup Newspapers Limited (unreported)
Privacy – misuse of private information – phone hacking.

Anna assisted partner Patrick Daulby in these proceedings for misuse of private information, breach of privacy and phone hacking. The Claimant settled his claim against Newsgroup Newspapers before the matter went to trial.

Anna continues to act for the Claimant in his phone hacking proceedings against Mirror Group Newspapers.

Horton v Times Newspapers Limited (unreported)
Privacy – misuse of private information – e-mail hacking.

Anna assisted partner Patrick Daulby in these proceedings for misuse of private information, breach of privacy and e-mail hacking. The Claimant successfully settled his proceedings against Times Newspapers before the matter went to trial.

UWUG Ltd and another v Ball t/a RED [2013] EWPCC 35
Intellectual property – registered and unregistered designs.

Anna assisted partner Patrick Daulby in these proceedings for breach of registered and unregistered design. The Claimant was successful at trial of this matter at the Patents County Court (now the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court), and was recognised as the owner of the registered and unregistered designs in dispute.

Why choose Taylor Hampton?

Taylor Hampton solicitors are among the small number well known to this court as practitioners in the field of media law.

Former High Court Judge

Multi Award Winning Media Solicitors

Taylor Hampton is London’s leading Award Winning Privacy, Defamation and Phone Hacking Solicitors.

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For all enquiries please call Taylor Hampton on +44 20 7427 5970