Naomi Campbell ruling welcomed

Media lawyers this week welcomed the Court of Appeal's ruling overturning Naomi Campbell's privacy claim against the Mirror newspaper.

Earlier this year, the supermodel was awarded 3,500 damages after the newspaper printed photographs of her leaving a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in Los Angeles and details of her treatment.

The judge ruled that although the Mirror was entitled to publish the fact that she was a drug addict, disclosing details of her treatment was an invasion of privacy.

In overturning the case, the court said the details of her treatment formed a legitimate part of the story, which was justified in order to show that Ms Campbell had been deceiving the public when she had previously said she had not taken drugs.

The Mirror's solicitor, Kevin Bays, a partner at London firm Davenport Lyons, said the ruling was a 'major triumph' for freedom of speech.

'Cases of this type must each be looked at on their own merits, but in this case the Mirror had not stepped over the line,' he said.

'This means that the media can now get on with their job without fear of a string of claims.'

Media expert Mark Stephens, a partner at Finers Stephens Innocent in London, said: 'The judge has recognised the media's role as watchdog: this judgment effectively says that if a public figure is going to lie, or if spin-doctors put misinformation into the public domain, it is incumbent on the media to reveal the truth.'

Ms Campbell was represented by leading media firm Schillings, which was unavailable for comment.

Victoria MacCallum