Tom Bower on the grounds of the story being "substantially true". The action was heard in July 2009 and Desmond lost the case. An unauthorised biography by Bower of Richard Desmond, titled "Rough Trader", was written and printed in 2006, but still awaits publication. In 2011 Bower published a biography of the Formula One executive Bernie Ecclestone titled "No Angel: The Secret Life of Bernie Ecclestone." Ecclestone cooperated with Bower in the writing of the book, facilitating introductions to people for Bower. Over lunch Ecclestone told Bower "You write what you like, provided it's more or less the truth, because I'm no
Food libel laws BPI could have received as much as $5.7 billion in statutory trebled damages were ABC News found liable. After the case had been tried for only three out of the expected eight weeks, ABC News and BPI reached a settlement of $177 million, the largest settlement recorded for a media defamation case. The terms of the settlement were not released. Food libel laws have faced opposition from free speech defenders, who argue that they restrict speech about agricultural products to a degree which is unconstitutional. Of particular concern is that some states' food libel laws seem to violate the "of