Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has won a libel action against Lalit Modi in London that leaves the one-time chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) facing a bill of more than £500,000 ($794,000). In the first libel action heard in England against a post on Twitter, Cairns, 41, was awarded £90,000 damages after Judge David Bean dismissed fixing allegations levelled against the cricketer by Modi.
Meanwhile, Modi was also ordered to pay an additional £400,000 on account of Cairns's costs to his solicitors within 28 days. The figures do not include Modi's own legal costs. Bean granted Modi permission to appeal over the amount of damages but refused permission on the issue of liability, although Modi's lawyers are set to go to the Court of Appeal directly on that point.
Cairns sued over an "unequivocal allegation" of match-fixing on Modi's Twitter account on the micro-blogging site in January 2010. Bean said Modi had "singularly failed" to provide any reliable evidence Cairns was involved in match-fixing or spot-fixing. Cairns, not in court on Monday, said in a statement: "Today's verdict lifts a dark cloud that has been over me for the past two years. I feel mixed emotions.
"Firstly, sadness that I should ever have had to put myself, my friends and my family through this because of one man's misdirected allegations. "But I also feel great joy because my past career has come through unscathed and remains intact and because I had the courage to stand up in the highest court to defend my name." He added: "Lastly, I feel great relief that I am able to walk into any cricket ground in the world with my head held high."
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