Meanings
- derogatoryuncountablelawA form of forum shopping in which plaintiffs choose to file libel suits in jurisdictions thought more likely to give a favourable result.
Ehrenfeld's case was an example of "libel tourism," where someone brings a libel claim in a country where he is most likely to win. Often, that country is Great Britain.
2015 March 21, Ari Shapiro, “On Libel And The Law, U.S. And U.K. Go Separate Ways”, in NPR.org1 more example
That is called libel tourism by lawyers in the media trade. And Britain remains a comfortable destination for the rich in search of friendly courts, which have already weighed complaints from people who consider themselves unfairly tarred with labels like tax dodger, terrorist financier or murky Qaeda operative.
[2008 January 20, Doreen Carvajal, “Britain, a destination for "libel tourism"”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
Origin
Coined by Geoffrey Robertson.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
libel tourism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/libel%20tourism
“libel tourism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/libel%20tourism. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “libel tourism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/libel%20tourism.
Source: libel tourism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.