Joey Barton Apologizes and Pays £75,000 Plus Legal Costs to Jeremy Vine in Defamation Settlement

Jun 18, 2024, 12:19 PM

Former footballer Joey Barton has issued a public apology to broadcaster Jeremy Vine and agreed to pay £75,000 in damages along with covering Vine's legal costs to settle a defamation claim. The settlement follows a series of 11 defamatory posts made by Barton on social media between January 8 and January 12, 2024, which falsely accused Vine of having a sexual interest in children and supporting forced vaccination during the Covid pandemic. The posts, viewed millions of times, also included a hashtag that echoed the same allegations. Barton acknowledged the harm caused by his actions and expressed regret in a post on X.