LONDON: Former chairman of the Indian Premier League Lalit Modi has failed in his appeal against a £90,000 libel award to former New Zealand captain Chris Cairns over an accusation of match-fixing.
Cairns sued Modi earlier this year and won the case when a judge ruled the Indian “singularly failed” to provide any reliable evidence that the Kiwi was involved in match-fixing or spot-fixing, .
Modi had attempted to overturn that ruling, but yesterday three judges in the Court of Appeal, said the awards were proportionate to the seriousness of the allegation and its direct impact on Cairns himself.
“We reject the criticisms of the judge’s reasoning or of the total award based on a starting point of £75,000 with the £15,000 uplift directly linked to the conduct of the hearing,” the verdict read.
“In our judgment they were proportionate to the seriousness of the allegation and its direct impact on Mr Cairns himself and will serve to vindicate his reputation. The appeal is accordingly dismissed.” AFP
