High Court refuses to stop ITN and The Guardian publishing misconduct allegations against a British star
A well-known British man has lost his High Court bid to stop ITN and The Guardian publishing sexual misconduct allegations against him. Deadline reports that Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed his claim for an injunction, which is a court order that stops something from being published or done.
The High Court is one of the senior courts in England and Wales. The judgment was listed on the UK Judiciary website on 3 November 2026. It is titled 'PPT -v- Independent Television News Limited and Guardian News and Media Limited' and sits in the Media and Communications List, a specialist group for media cases.
The man asked for a permanent injunction against both news organisations, which would have kept the allegations out of print and off air. The Guardian reported in October that the two outlets argued they had a "duty to public and sources" to publish the claims. ITN and Guardian News and Media both opposed the bid, according to The Independent.
The man denies the allegations, as the BBC reported when the case was heard. The ruling does not settle the matter. The court did not decide whether the allegations, or any of them, are true.
Some restrictions remain in place. A temporary order stops the man from being named, and that order stays in force while the case is open to appeal. The judge also warned the public not to try to work out who he is, a warning The Independent reported at the time of the hearing.
For readers, the story is about what a court will and will not block. A news outlet can be stopped from publishing only in narrow cases, and this judge has ruled against that step here. The allegations are still unproven, and the man is still denying them.
Nothing else has been confirmed about what happens next. Any appeal, or any further publication, will be a new development to follow when it is reported.
