Our Team
Moritz Schirmeister
Senior Associate
Moritz advises on Defamation, Misuse of Private Information, Data Protection (pre-publication and post-publication including claims with international aspects) and Harassment Claims. His experience includes acting against national newspapers, search engines, social networks, companies and individuals. He has represented clients in the County Court, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, on behalf of both Claimants and Defendants.
Moritz obtained significant damages, an apology and a statement in open Court for the former President of the Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, for false and defamatory allegations published by the BBC. Moritz was also part of the Claimant’s legal team in PJS -v- News Group Newspapers (the first case in which the Supreme Court has given Judgment on an interim application restraining a breach of privacy) and successfully represented one of the individuals in the ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ case in which the High Court ordered Google to delist search results regarding a man’s past conviction when conducting a search against his name, upholding his claim for breach of data protection rights and misuse of private information. Moritz also obtained a settlement for the children of Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky in their claim against Associated Newspapers which concerned images published on Mail Online. He also represented Karen Thomas-Bland, which resulted in an apology and payment of damages from the Sunday Times over a defamatory article published concerning her departure from Mitie.
Moritz is also acting for a number of sports and entertainment personalities, politicians - including the current Prime Minister (The Right Honourable Boris Johnson MP) - and a number of high profile Ultra-High Net Worth individuals. He also regularly assists companies in the healthcare sector and often works closely with clients’ public relations advisors to respond effectively to journalists’ enquiries. Moritz’s international work includes acting for Magnus Granath, a Norwegian national who is being sued in the High Court by the well-known Bitcoin entrepreneur Dr Craig Wright. This matter resulted in an appearance in the Court of Appeal in October 2020. He has also been representing the Government Communications Office, State of Qatar.
Moritz regularly engages in pre-publication work for corporate and individual clients, against a number of publishers and broadcasters including The Daily Mail, Channel 4, The Guardian, The Sun and The Times, which has resulted in mitigating significant potential harm to clients, by way of amendment to or withdrawal of the publications or broadcasts in question. He also obtained a favourable settlement for two University students in their data protection claim against a renowned London University. Finally, Moritz’s Commercial Litigation practice focuses on proceedings involving breach of contract, partnership disputes and/or the recovery of outstanding debts, including insolvency and bankruptcy matters.
Moritz is also bilingual in English and German.
