Something remarkable happened in the High Court of Justice in London yesterday (October 17).
It might not have involved celebrities like Coleen Rooney or Rebekah Vardy – but the outcome was arguably more significant than the ‘Wagatha Christie’ case.
Jess Alden, who is one of the UK’s rising reputation and privacy lawyers, read out an agreed statement on behalf of her client – Victoria Price.
Price might not be a household name but she may go down as the woman who took on the Daily Mail’s mighty publisher Associated Newspapers – and won.
The case centred on a number of unwanted stories the mother-of-three found herself at the centre of earlier this year because of her relationship with Asda co-owner Mohsin Issa.
Price has already donated the damages and a proportion of her legal fees from the case to charity and has described this week’s events as the conclusion of an ‘awful chapter’ in her life.
Unlike the original sensational reporting of Price’s relationship with Issa, news of her victory has barely merited a mention in the media – which is why BusinessCloud is publishing the David and Goliath story in full.
First of all, a quick recap on who Victoria Price is.
Price is a former EY partner who joined global consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal earlier this year to lead their private capital team in the UK.
She is a respected figure in her industry but at the same time she started her new job she found herself at the centre of a media storm because of her relationship with Mohsin Issa.
The headline in the Evening Standard screamed: ‘Mohsin Issa confirms relationship with ex-EY tax partner after Asda auditor resignation.’
The headline in The Times focused on Issa: ‘Asda co-owner ‘in relationship’ with ex-EY tax partner’.
However the Daily Mail surpassed itself by managing to get ‘billionaire Asda brothers’; ‘£18m home’; and ‘new lover’ in the same headline.
The main justification for the coverage was that Price had been a partner at EY, one of the famous ‘Big 4’ accountants, while they were Asda’s auditors.
There are quite rightly strict ethical rules governing relationships between auditors and their clients but the facts are that Price wasn’t an audit partner at EY and didn’t work on the Asda business.
Victoria Price and Clare Roberts, CEO, Kids Planet
However, she chose to resign to pursue her relationship with Issa.
You might think that would be the end of the story – but you would be wrong.
Issa became big news when he and his brother Zuber – who founded EG Group (previously Euro Garages) in 2001 – bought Asda in 2020.
Price and Issa had chosen to keep their relationship relatively low key – but the Daily Mail had different ideas.
Several members of Price’s family were contacted by journalists.
Price was in the US meeting new colleagues when the story dropped. The Daily Mail also phoned her new place of work.
A lesser person might have buckled but Price has spent her life overcoming adversity.
For full disclosure I’m in the unique position of having previously worked at the Daily Mail and knowing Price. I’m proud to know Price.
She shared her story with me more than a decade ago at the regional final of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards when we found ourselves sitting next to each other.
Teenage mum
She became pregnant at the age of 17 while doing her A-Levels and had to leave school.
While being pregnant she took a string of low paid jobs, including selling calendars on a market stall and waitressing in a Chinese restaurant.
At the age of 18 her son was born seven weeks prematurely and the new teenage mum had to spend two weeks in hospital with pre-eclampsia.
She went to night school to finish her A-Levels and obtained grades of A, A, C.
Unable to afford to go to university she bought herself a stack of books and taught herself to become an accountant.
When she sat her Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) exam she won a prize for getting one of the highest marks in the country.
After landing a job at North West accountants Tollit & Stockton she joined EY in 2006 and eventually led the UK & Ireland private team, helping it triple in size.
In 2015 she and was appointed partner despite only being in her early 30s.
Through her work with the EY Foundation, she did everything from trek across the Sahara to climb Kilimanjaro.
As recently as last Sunday she posted on LinkedIn that she’d walked 20 miles in aid of The Prince’s Trust and helped raise £200k.
Family-first, ambitious and fiercely determined she gets up at 5am to go to the gym.
In 2018 she presented Mohsin and Zuber Issa with the award for Entrepreneur of The Year 2018 North in a ceremony at The Lowry Hotel, in Manchester.
It’s the photo from this night of a laughing Issa clutching the award alongside a smiling Price that is a particular favourite of the Daily Mail.
Price’s response to the media attacks was to employ the services of Chris Scott and Jess Alden, of London law firm Slateford.
Price’s legal team engaged David Sherborne KC, the high profile barrister who previously represented Princess Diana and more recently represented Prince Harry in his recent phone hacking claims.
He also represented Coleen Rooney in her case against Rebekah Vardy and Johnny Depp in his libel suit against The Sun.
The culmination of her fight for justice came yesterday when her lawyer Jess Alden read out a statement at London’s High Court of Justice in London
She said: “As a result of pressure and speculation from a range of media organisations, Ms Price was forced to confirm her relationship with Mr Issa in early February 2024.
“However, in doing so, they requested through their solicitors that the media refrain from intruding into their private lives.
“Unfortunately, despite this request, two articles were published by the defendant (Daily Mail) in February 2024 which contained some private and intrusive details, and some false private information about Ms Price’s personal life, as well as her relationships and religious beliefs.
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“As a result, Ms Price had no alternative but to issue a letter before claim for misuse of private information.”
A ‘letter before claim’ is the formal process of putting a person on notice that court proceedings may be brought.
Aldem added: “I am pleased to be here today to announce on Ms Price’s behalf that her complaint against this defendant for the publication of these articles has been resolved.
Withdraw the articles
“The defendant has agreed to withdraw the articles and not to repeat the information contained in them, as well as to pay her legal fees and damages which she is donating to a charity of her choice.
“In these circumstances, and having achieved the objective which she sought, namely to make clear that she will not tolerate unwarranted invasions of her privacy, Ms Price is prepared to bring her complaint against the defendant to an end.”
Speaking after yesterday’s court case, Chris Scott said: “No-one should tolerate this kind of reporting intrusively targeting successful people’s private lives, and it’s only by someone like Victoria taking a stand against it that deterrence is created to protect everyone else’s freedoms.”
Until now Price hasn’t spoken publicly about the impact the press intrusion has had on her life.
However, she broke her silence by posting the following comment on LinkedIn after the court case.
“In February of this year, the Daily Mail published a series of articles about me which included false private and private information that infringed my rights,” she wrote.
“I chose to stay silent at the time but behind the scenes I took a stand against this unacceptable form of journalism which has caused me and my family much distress.
“Today my lawyers have read out a statement in open court confirming that the Mail’s publishers have agreed to pay me legal fees and damages.
“I have donated the damages and a proportion of my legal fees to charities that are close to my heart and that do really good work in the community, in particular for young people.
“It doesn’t make it ok but I’m glad to know that worthy causes will be positively impacted by the ordeal.
“Today’s statement in open court makes clear that I will not tolerate unwarranted invasions of my privacy or false reporting and I am pleased that it concludes this awful chapter.
“I’m massively thankful for the swell of support that I received from friends, colleagues and strangers, but most of all I am grateful to my family for their steadfast love throughout what was a pretty horrific time. It has made us stronger.
Holding my head up high
“Anyone who knows me will know how committed I am to my work and charitable endeavours and today, like every other day since February, I will be holding my head up high and getting on with the job at hand.”
She ended by thanking her legal team and used the hashtag #responsiblejournalism
But here’s the remarkable thing about Price.
In the time since the Daily Mail’s articles in February, Price hasn’t taken any time off because of it and has won 40 new clients for Alvarez & Marsal.
Price and Issa continue to maintain a discreet profile about their relationship although they did pose for a low-key photo with their legal team on the steps of the High Court of Justice yesterday.
The couple are planning to do more charity work together and have recently invested in a retail apparel and fashion business called Go Thrift.
5ft 2ins tall
A friend of Price said: “She might only be 5ft 2ins tall and weigh about 50kgs but you under-estimate her at your peril.
“This is about more than Victoria Price. It’s about the people whose lives are trampled over by the media and don’t have the means to fight back.
“Victoria won’t be defined by the Daily Mail. This is about reclaiming her identity.”
The friend said there will be no big celebration following the court appearance.
“She’s a Northern girl from Chester,” added the friend.
“She’s down to earth. However my warning to the media is if they do the same again as the Daily Mail she won’t hesitate in taking action same again.”
- BusinessCloud would welcome a comment from Associated Newspapers.