Late playwright's partner wins damages - Graham Atkins Solicitor

219 days ago

The former partner of playwright Anthony Shaffer has accepted substantial undisclosed damages from a newspaper that reported she had pretended to have a relationship with him so she could claim on his estate.

Marie Capece Minutolo, former partner of the renowned playwright Anthony Shaffer, has received substantial undisclosed damages from the Evening Standard newspaper following a defamatory article published in July 2002. The article falsely alleged that Ms Minutolo had fabricated a romantic relationship with Shaffer in order to make a claim on his estate after his death.

Ms Minutolo, a respected sculptor and businesswoman, took legal action against the London-based newspaper after it claimed she was merely Shaffer's research assistant and had pretended to be in a relationship with him. These assertions were strongly refuted in the High Court by her legal representative, Graham Atkins.

Mr Atkins stated that Ms Minutolo and Mr Shaffer, best known as the author of the play Sleuth, had shared a home and a deep personal connection from 1998 until his sudden death in November 2001. He emphasized that their relationship was not only genuine but also serious and loving. To suggest otherwise, he argued, was a grave misrepresentation of the truth and deeply damaging to Ms Minutolo’s reputation and personal dignity.

The court heard that the article had caused significant distress and hurt to Ms Minutolo, who had been mourning the loss of her long-term partner when the newspaper published the false claims. The implication that she had engaged in deceitful behavior for financial gain was not only baseless but also cruelly timed, occurring less than a year after Shaffer’s passing.

Following the legal proceedings, the Evening Standard accepted that its allegations were false and agreed to pay substantial damages to Ms Minutolo, though the specific amount has not been disclosed. The paper also agreed to cover her legal costs and issued a formal apology.

The case highlights the importance of responsible journalism and the potential consequences of publishing unfounded allegations. For Ms Minutolo, the ruling serves as a public vindication of the truth about her relationship with Shaffer, reaffirming her role as his devoted partner during the final years of his life.

This legal victory brings some measure of closure to a painful chapter for Ms Minutolo, whose personal and professional integrity had been called into question by an inaccurate and damaging report.

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