I need to sue the BBC?

Question

I need to sue hte BBC for breaking Data Protection Act any ideas on the best way to do it? They faxed to my (now ex) future mother in law without my consent and application i made to appear on one of their shows and it now cost me mental and physical exhaustion and a lot of argo any suggestions?

Answer 1

Complain to the BBC first. If they admit they've broken the law, it will then be down to negotiating any compensation.

If the BBC deny your claim, complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the government's regulator for data protection.

If the BBC admit your claim or the ICO agrees with you that the law has been broken, chances are they’ll want to settle out of court as you would obviously win if it got that far.

At this point get a solicitor to handle your claim. Losers normally pay the winner’s costs and at this point your case is cast iron (but get your solicitor’s opinion on this to make sure) so you should not worry about the expense.

You need a solicitor with an idea of what you should ask for in terms of compensation. If you go it alone the BBC might offer you a small amount of compensation because you know no better.

ICO details here:
http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints/data_protection.aspx
where you can download a complaints form and information on how and when to complain.

But be prepared to be disappointed by the level of compensation a court might award.

Answer 2

Talk to a solicitor and go from there. I'm not optimistic.