Louise Reay’s Christmas must be looking much brighter now her ex-husband has decided to drop his legal case against her discussing him as part of her act.
The defamation case came about in response to Louise’s show Hard Mode which addressed the subject of free speech and the end of her marriage, including video footage of their wedding day. Thomas Reay was suing for breach of privacy and data protection, arguing he was identified in photos and video. He was claiming £30,000 damages plus costs and seeking an injunction preventing her from saying certain things, including what he said were allegations their relationship was abusive.
Fortunately for both parties, they have now come to an agreement, which Louise announced on a page she created to raise funds for her legal costs. She said: “I am really grateful for the support I have received for this case. Thank you! A settlement has been reached, which has resulted in the claimant discontinuing the proceedings. Both parties have agreed to make no further comment following settlement.”
More than 550 people raised a total of £11,200 to help Louise contest the case, saying her husband was trying to silence her: “…he says that I accused him of abusing me in my show. And so he’s suing me, which in my opinion is simply an attempt to silence me.
“As standup comedians, I believe it’s the very definition of our job to talk about our lives and social issues. So this has become a free speech issue – and free speech means everything to me.”
The case had even impacted on Louise’s following show Eraserhead, in which she had to seek the approval of lawyers before she could perform the show, resulting in several rewrites.
