On 15/11/2007, Sam Blacketer sam.blacketer@googlemail.com wrote:
That's a bold statement. Yes, costs are normally awarded against the losing side but that does not mean they will actually get paid. English legal history is full of people who have won libel actions and yet been financially ruined.
(There's a system called 'paying money into court' where the defendant will put up a sum of money as an offer for settlement without admission of liability. If the plaintiff wins but the jury awards less in damages than the amount paid into court, then the plaintiff is still required to pay their own costs)
The statement was made from the POV of the defendant so paying money into the court doesn't really apply.