Philip Green Loses Legal Battle Over Parliamentary Privilege in Harassment Case

British retail tycoon Philip Green lost a legal case against the UK over parliamentary privilege, invoked to name him in 2018 amid harassment allegations. Green argued this breached his privacy rights, but the European Court ruled against him. He has three months to appeal.

British retail mogul Philip Green faced a legal defeat against the United Kingdom over the use of parliamentary privilege. This privilege was used in 2018 to publicly name him amid sexual harassment allegations.

Green, who had been a prominent businessman in Britain, was named in parliament after trying to stop the Telegraph newspaper from publishing the allegations, by obtaining an interim injunction. Labour politician Peter Hain utilized parliamentary privilege, which lets members speak freely and have their statements reported without legal consequences, to reveal Green's identity.

Green took his complaint to the European Court of Human Rights, claiming the unrestricted use of parliamentary privilege breached his privacy rights. However, the court ruled against him in a 5-2 majority, stating that deciding the need for such restrictions is the responsibility of national parliaments. Green, who gained fame by acquiring BHS and Arcadia, has three months to appeal the verdict.

(With inputs from agencies.)