£12,000 DAMAGES

Hokitika Guardian, 22 February 1930, Page 4

£12,000 DAMAGES

AGAINST LONDON PRESS. [United press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.] U LONDON, Feh. 20. After a thirteen days’ hearing before the King’s bench of his claim, a Hmnnaniaii, Barbu Jonesco, who was Prince Carol’s host during his stay in England was awarded £12,000 damages in his libel case against the "Evening Standard,” which had alleged that his namfo originally was not dories;o, and that he was not really a Roumanian, hut that he was a Pole who went to England with Belgian refugees in war time. t Joneseo’s counsel said that he was • respected and prosperous until this allegation was made, hut thereafter people regarded him as an imposter; resulting in his bankruptcy.' Lengthy evidence, much of it on commission, was brought from Rouniania. to support the declaration that the plaintiffs name, has always been Jonesco, and that lie was. born in 1885. A plea of justification was entered for the defence, which alleged that his name was Moritz Lieba, that lie was born in 1891 and that his father was of Polish descent. The costs of the case are estimated at twenty thousand sterling.