Black and white photo of Megan O'Boyle

Megan O’ Boyle

Megan is a Consultant Senior Associate for Taylor Hampton.

Megan specialises in reputation, media and privacy disputes. She has extensive experience providing strategic advice in relation to defamation, misuse of private information, data protection and infringement of copyright claims, for both Claimants and Defendants and in respect of both pre and post publication matters. Megan has also acted on behalf of many Claimants in the Mobile Voicemail Interception Litigation (“MTVIL”) against News Group Newspapers and Mirror Group Newspapers, negotiating substantial damages and other relief.

Megan has acted for high profile individuals from the entertainment and sports industries, members of the royal household, corporates and private individuals across a multitude of business sectors.

She has managed cases against a number of publishers and broadcasters including The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Mirror, the BBC, the London Evening Standard, The Independent, the HuffPost, Sky and Conde Nast, as well as social networks.

 

Notable work

  • Successfully representing the Claimant, Mr Bruno Lachaux, in the landmark defamation case of Bruno Lachaux v Independent Print Ltd and others ([2021] EWHC 1797 (QB); [2019] 3 WLR 18;[2017] EWCA Civ 1334; [2015] EWHC 2242 (QB)) which involved multiple appearances in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Megan advised on and prepared for a trial of preliminary issues on defamatory meaning, reference and serious harm; this was one of the first cases to test the construction of section 1(1) of the Defamation Act 2013 (otherwise known as the ‘serious harm threshold’). The Defendant newspapers appealed to the Court of Appeal and subsequently the Supreme Court, whereupon their appeals were dismissed. The case proceeded to a trial on the public interest defence under section 4 of the Defamation Act 2013 and was determined in the Claimant’s favour, resulting in public vindication for the Claimant through the award of substantial damages and non-monetary relief.
  • Advising an international art dealer in its claim for breach of contract and breach of a Quistclose Trust following its purchase of a sculpture by renowned artist Yayoi Kasuma (valued at approx. US$1.4m) from a third-party vendor. Megan successfully applied for a worldwide freezing injunction and third-party disclosure application against the Defendant’s bank on behalf of the Claimant, which enabled the Claimant to trace the proceeds of sale and identify enforceable assets.
  • Advising a prominent stylist in relation to a claim for passing off against a National publisher, obtaining a prompt apology and correction.
  • Securing substantial damages, public apologies and undertakings not to repeat against two national newspapers for claims in defamation and infringement of copyright.
  • Successfully providing pre-publication advice to a company alleged to have improperly and fraudulently secured a contract with the government to supply Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).