Financial journalist Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, is to drop his defamation against against Facebook after reaching a settlement, his solicitor has said.
Lewis (pictured) brought the case last year after fraudulent online adverts using his name and image appeared on Facebook. Under the settlement, Facebook will donate £3m to set up a Citizens Advice scams action project in May and launch a dedicated scam-ad reporting tool.
Rory Lynch, solicitor at Seddons, who represented Lewis, said: ‘This ground-breaking defamation suit reflects Martin’s passion for protecting the public from scam adverts.
'Martin took on significant risk in order to make Facebook confront this pernicious practice. This action led to an innovative agreement that sets an important precedent for other industry players to follow.’