Key facts
- An Uzbek businessman won a default judgment at the High Court against UK publisher 2Trom.
- The businessman was awarded £105,000 in damages and £117,663.38 in legal costs.
- The case involved 'pink slime' journalism, where outlets publish content for propaganda or misinformation.
- The article accused the businessman of leading an Uzbek corruption network and embezzling state funds.
- The court found the article had seriously damaged the businessman's reputation, leading to loss of banking services.
An Uzbek businessman has secured a record payout of £105,000 in damages and £117,663.38 in legal costs after winning a defamation suit against a UK publishing network, 2Trom. The High Court entered a default judgment against the company after it failed to contest the case, which involved an article published in October 2024 accusing the businessman, Ovik Mkrtchyan, of leading an Uzbek corruption network, embezzling state funds, and laundering money.
Mr Justice Fordham accepted that the article, published on a website called the London Post, had seriously damaged Mkrtchyan's reputation and contributed to his companies and a family member losing their banking services. 2Trom also failed to defend a separate copyright case brought by a photographer in 2025.
'Pink slime' journalism refers to outlets that appear legitimate but publish content used for propaganda or misinformation, often to influence algorithms used by financial compliance firms and search engines. Thomas Rudkin, a partner at Farrer & Co., noted that such disinformation campaigns are increasingly deployed by malicious actors through paid websites with no editorial scrutiny, often using fabricated content, non-existent authors, and AI-generated material. He outlined potential avenues for victims, including direct website requests, appeals to search engines and chatbots, and litigation, which can result in a public court judgment.