Ryan Giggs loses 1.5m pounds damage claim over affair with Imogen Thomas

London, Mar 3 (ANI): Ryan Giggs' affair with Imogen Thomas could cost him more than 1.5 million pounds after his damage claim against the Sun newspaper was rejected by a High Court judge on Friday.

The footballer has taken out an injunction against the newspaper and TV presenter Imogen Thomas, the BBC reported.

He was granted an injunction in April 2011 after a 14 April article in the Sun on an unnamed player's alleged affair with the model.

Despite the order, he was widely identified on social networking sites.

The newspaper had argued that the claim was "dead in the water", and it was dismissed at the High Court on Friday.

On 21 February, the Manchester United player consented at the High Court to being named as the footballer behind the injunction, which prevented the publication of details of an alleged extra-marital affair.

Justice Tugendhat had been considering whether Giggs could sue the Sun for alleged breach of privacy.

During arguments at the High Court hearing, Hugh Tomlinson QC, for Giggs, said the Sun "misused" private information in the article, in which the footballer was not identified.

Ryan Giggs' action for breach of privacy - the action that launched a thousand tweets - was brought against the Sun and the model the former 'Celebrity Big Brother' contestant.

Tugendhat said that the way the case had been conducted by both parties had "done much to undermine confidence in the administration of justice".

For various reasons, which suited them, both News Group Newspapers and Giggs agreed to time extensions that had the effect of interfering with the rights to freedom of expression of third parties and the public in general.

On NGN's part the judge pointed to the double standard of publicly complaining about privacy injunctions while secretly agreeing to time extensions, which defer a trial.

The judgement also noted that because Thomas has undertaken not to disclose any private information about Giggs, and the Sun has no private information or intention to publish, there is now little point to an action which led to so much fevered speculation and debate last year.

Tomlinson said Giggs was claiming damages for the subsequent re-publication of information in other newspapers and on the internet, and argued that his claim should go to trial.

He suggested the Sun article "generated a large media storm" and said the damages claim was about "providing effective protection" for Giggs' right to privacy - enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. (ANI)