Hong Kong court orders now-defunct Apple Daily to pay HK$1.5 million to couple in defamation lawsuit over 2019 articles
A Hong Kong court has ordered the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily to pay HK$1.5 million in damages to a couple that sued the outlet for defamation over articles published in 2019. The lawsuit was filed by China Innovation Investment Limited, its chairperson Xiang Xin, and his wife Kung Ching against Apple Daily Limited and AD Internet Limited.
The articles accused the couple of being spies for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), causing their reputations to suffer. Apple Daily, founded by jailed media mogul Jimmy Lai, ceased publication in 2021 after authorities raided its headquarters, arrested senior staff, and froze its assets.
The court ruled that Apple Daily did not prove the allegations in the articles were true, did not attempt to verify the claims, and did not provide the plaintiffs an opportunity to explain.
Brief written by urgent.news from Hong Kong Free Press's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
