Top fertility doctor in £1m BBC libel fight
(sz) PANORAMA, the BBC’s flagship current affairs show, faces being sued for more than £1m by Britain’s richest doctor after a “biased and irresponsible” undercover investigation into his fertility clinics.
Mohamed Taranissi, a leading IVF expert who has helped mothers give birth to 2,300 babies in seven years, claims the programme made defamatory allegations about his techniques and has caused lasting damage to his professional reputation.
Last week Carter-Ruck, the libel lawyers, wrote to the BBC on behalf of Taranissi, signalling his intention to sue.
The doctor is seeking hundreds of thousands of pounds in damages, but the broadcaster will also have to foot his hefty legal costs if it loses the libel action. “We could be talking about an overall bill well in excess of £1m if the BBC decides to fight this all the way,” said an informed source.
Taranissi, 52, said: “If everybody presents me as the richest doctor [in Britain], earning all these millions, obviously anything that will come in compensation will have to match things like that.” more…
From: »The Times« (online)