The BBC has mentioned Gregg Wallace is just not “entitled to any damages” in response to a Excessive Courtroom declare filed by the presenter – during which he says the broadcaster brought about him “distress and harassment”.
The previous MasterChef presenter is suing the broadcaster and its subsidiary BBC Studios Distribution Restricted after he was sacked from the cooking present in July.
Wallace was dismissed after an investigation into historic allegations of misconduct upheld a number of accusations in opposition to him.
He has filed a authorized declare for as much as £10,000 in damages, alleging the BBC didn’t adjust to a request for copies of his private information, which brought about “distress and harassment”.
In its defence filed on the Excessive Courtroom, Jason Pobjoy KC, for the BBC, mentioned: “It is denied that the claimant has suffered any distress or harassment as a result of the responses of the BBC.
“It’s denied that the claimant is entitled to any damages, curiosity or different reduction, whether or not as pleaded or in any other case.”
The broadcaster further denied that Wallace “has suffered any misery or harassment” because of its responses.
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Wallace stepped away from MasterChef final 12 months amid misconduct allegations. Pic: PA
The court docket paperwork additionally declare that the presenter failed to provide the BBC prior discover of his intention to concern authorized proceedings.
The broadcaster has admitted Wallace wrote to it on 6 March this 12 months, asking for copies of his private information.
Mr Pobjoy mentioned the BBC didn’t present Wallace with a “substantive response” inside three months of his request “primarily due to the lack of proportionality and scale”.
He mentioned that after designating the request as advanced, the BBC responded to Wallace on 7 October and offered him with a replica of his private information.
The barrister mentioned the “voluntary disclosure demonstrates that the claimant has no basis to claim damages for distress, or otherwise, in respect of the withholding of such information”.
Barrister Lawrence Energy mentioned the broadcaster informed Wallace it was “taking all reasonable steps” to course of the request in “as timely a manner as possible going forward”, however that he had nonetheless not obtained a response when the court docket paperwork have been filed.
He mentioned that by “failing to fully comply with the subject access requests” made by Wallace, “the defendants acted in breach of their statutory duty and, in doing so, caused distress and harassment to the claimant”.
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Wallace started co-presenting MasterChef in 2005, nevertheless it was introduced in November 2024 that he would step away from his position whereas the misconduct allegations have been investigated.
A assessment by legislation agency Lewis Silkin later upheld 45 of the 83 allegations in opposition to him, together with one in all “unwelcome physical contact”.
Wallace issued an apology, saying he was “deeply sorry for any distress caused” and that he “never set out to harm or humiliate”.
