Irving v Penguin Books & Lipstadt 1996-I-1113 (QBD)

Approved Judgment, April 11, 2000

The High Court's judgment in the libel action brought by David Irving against Penguin Books Ltd and Professor Deborah E. Lipstadt. Delivered at 10:30 on Tuesday, April 11, 2000, in Court 73 of the Royal Courts of Justice. 349 pages as issued by the court.

Mr Justice Gray presiding.

The verdict
"My overall finding in relation to the plea of justification is that the Defendants have proved the substantial truth of the imputations, most of which relate to Irving’s conduct as an historian, with which I have dealt in paragraphs 13.7 to 13.127 above. [...] In the result therefore the defence of justification succeeds. [...] It follows that there must be judgment for the Defendants." (¶13.165, ¶13.168, ¶14.1)

Read the complete judgment from the beginning
912 numbered paragraphs in 14 sections.
Electronic edition PDF
393 PDF pages · 947 KB. Its pagination differs from that of the 349-page court issue.

Contents

  1. IIntroductionA summary of the main issues · The parties10 ¶ · 2 sub
  2. IIThe words complained of and their meaningThe passages complained of · The issue of identification16 ¶ · 3 sub
  3. IIIThe nature of Irving's claim for damagesRelevant considerations · Irving's case on damages10 ¶ · 2 sub
  4. IVThe defence of justification: an overviewThe parties' statements of case · What has to be proved for the defence of justification to succeed21 ¶ · 4 sub
  5. VJustification: Hitler and the Jewish questionThe defendants' criticisms of Irving's portrayal of Hitler · The general case for the Defendants249 ¶ · 22 sub
  6. VIJustification: Hitler's knowledge of and responsibility for exterminationPreamble · Hitler's anti-semitism · The evolving policy145 ¶ · 9 sub
  7. VIIAuschwitzDescription of the camp and overview of the principal issue · The case for the Defendants in summary128 ¶ · 6 sub
  8. VIIIJustification: the claim that Irving is a "Holocaust denier"What is meant by the term · Whether Irving's statements qualify him as one in that sense36 ¶ · 7 sub
  9. IXJustification: the allegation that Irving is an anti-semite and a racistRelevance of the allegation · The material relied on by the Defendants21 ¶ · 3 sub
  10. XJustification: Irving's association with right-wing extremistsIntroductory · Case for the Defendants32 ¶ · 3 sub
  11. XIJustification: the bombing of DresdenIntroduction · The Defendants' criticisms of Irving's account55 ¶ · 7 sub
  12. XIIJustification: the Goebbels diaries in the Moscow archiveWhether Irving broke an agreement with the archive and risked damage to the glass plates20 ¶ · 2 sub
  13. XIIIFindings on justificationScheme of this section · Whether Irving has falsified and misrepresented the historical evidence168 ¶ · 11 sub
  14. XIVVerdictIt follows that there must be judgment for the Defendants1 ¶ · 0 sub