Odey abandons libel suit against FT, acknowledging public-interest defence would prevail
Crispin Odey has dropped his £79m libel claim against the Financial Times, admitting the paper would likely win its public-interest defence over decades of sexual misconduct allegations; the FT had indicated about 15 women were willing to testify. The decision comes after the FT disclosed evidence it planned to rely on and a three-week Upper Tribunal hearing over Odey’s FCA ban, during which he admitted to sexually assaulting a former employee in 2005. Odey now faces substantial legal costs as the case ends.
