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Citing Confidentiality, British Court Blocks Reuters Article on Hedge Fund
By CHAD BRAYMARCH 24, 2017

LONDON — A High Court judge has blocked Reuters from publishing an article about the hedge fund manager Brevan Howard Asset Management, citing the confidential nature of information at issue in the story.

In Britain, companies and individuals can seek civil injunctions to prevent journalists from publishing articles that may contain confidential information or infringe on their privacy. The tactic is often used to prevent tabloids from reporting details about the personal lives of celebrities.

But last week, Brevan Howard, one of Britain’s largest hedge funds, sought the injunction as Reuters prepared to publish an article about the firm. It is not known what information the article contained.

In a statement made public on Friday, the judge did not indicate the nature of the article but said he had issued an injunction against Reuters, its reporter and an unnamed person, or people, who “leaked investment documents belonging to the claimant.”

“I found that the information in question was confidential and that the public interest in the maintenance of confidentiality outweighed the public interest in disclosure,” Justice Andrew J. Popplewell of the High Court said in the statement.

The judge said he would provide a longer explanation of his ruling in a public judgment to be handed down soon.

British courts, seeking to avoid prejudicing juries or defendants, routinely restrict the ability of the news media to publish some aspects of criminal and civil cases that would be reported as a matter of course in the United States.

A Reuters statement said the news agency’s objective was to publish articles that are in the public interest, “which we believe outweighs the confidentiality concerns put forward in this matter.”

“We are therefore deeply disappointed by this ruling and are reviewing the court’s decision,” the statement said.

Brevan Howard said it “highly values its ability to engage with its investor base on a candid and confidential basis.”

“To protect the integrity of its communications, the firm successfully sought and obtained an injunction to restrain the use of a report based on confidential information made available to investors that was obtained by Reuters in breach of confidence,” the company said in a statement.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/business/dealbook/reuters-brevan-howard-injunction.html?ref=business&_r=0