Brillo Lawsuit Maybe Not So Brill

After a rather more than robust social media exchange between Jennifer Arcuri, famous mainly because she featured in one of many extramarital affairs featuring alleged Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, and former Murdoch editor Andrew Neil, the latter made it clear that he considered her accusations against him defamatory. He would, he assured his followers, be consulting his lawyers. There would be a lawsuit.

And so it came to pass: as the Guardian has reported, “Andrew Neil has launched libel proceedings against Jennifer Arcuri, the former lover of prime minister Boris Johnson, after she made allegations about the broadcaster’s inclusion in an address book owned by the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Legal filings show Neil has made good on his threat to sue Arcuri after she publicly claimed the journalist was on the ‘pedo elite train’”.

There was more. “The former GB News presenter, who is now hosting a show for Channel 4, said Arcuri’s comments were ‘evil lies’ and ‘vile and untrue accusations’ … Neil has repeatedly said he never met Epstein and the presence of his contact details in the ‘black book’ is because he had previously met Ghislaine Maxwell in New York during the 1990s”.

And more. “In a series of tweets about Epstein, Neil also told another Twitter user he had no connection to the deceased former financier: ‘I’ve never even met him, communicated with him, never mind visited any of his properties or been on his planes, cars, buses, helicopters, ponies,’ he tweeted”. And then came what may prove to be a mistake.

“In a tweet at the end of December, Neil told Arcuri: ‘My legal team has prepared a massive case against you and we’ll be seeking exemplary damages. Papers will be served in UK and US. I know you’ve been keeping your location private. But tell me, what’s it like in Panama City, Florida this time of year?’” But will she be there for long?

Indeed, given that was last December, will she still be there now? Just how much expense will the Brillo legal team have to incur chasing her across the USA and even, perhaps, beyond its borders? What success does he expect to achieve in the USA, given Elon Musk got away with using the term “Pedo” against someone else who wasn’t?

And even if he does get a result in the courts, how does he expect to recoup the costs of the action(s), and indeed any damages that may be awarded? Just because Ms Arcuri managed to persuade Bozo to cause significant sums to move in her general direction does not mean she’s still got it. She might not have the financial means to pay up.

Moreover, that assumes Brillo and his learned friends can locate her - having given her ample notice to load up and move on out of Panama City, FL. Just getting a judgment from an English court and leaving it at that might be his least expensive bet. The publicity could damage his reputation more than Ms Arcuri - like the time he went after Peregrine Worsthorne over allegations concerning himself and Pamella Bordes, a former Miss India.

The Guardian later noted that “Neil subsequently described it as 'my famous but foolish law suit’”. It’s with the certainty of night following day that many in the media - and not just Private Eye magazine - will be taking the piss out of him for months to come.

“Leave her Andy, she’s not worth it”. If only that was said before the red mist descended.

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