Section 13: Offers to make amends
84.Section 13 sets out the components of a valid offer to make amends. Under subsection (1), it must comprise a suitable correction, either of the statement in general or, in the case of a qualified offer, of a specific defamatory meaning conveyed by the statement. There must also be a sufficient apology, with both this and the correction being published in a manner that is reasonable and appropriate in all the circumstances. The person receiving the offer may, for example, wish no more than a privately communicated retraction, without an apology being made known more widely. The offer must include, too, details of the compensation and expenses which are to be paid by the person making the offer, assuming expenses and compensation are to be paid (which is at the defamed party’s discretion), and insofar as the parties have succeeded in agreeing on the sums payable. If they have not so agreed, the level of compensation and expenses will be determined by the court (see section 14(3) to (7)). The offer may also include an undertaking to take such other steps as the person making the offer proposes; this might, for example, include a payment to charity.
85.Subsection (2) deals with the requisites of making a valid offer to make amends. Paragraph (a) makes clear that the opportunity to make an offer of amends is lost in the event that the person making the offer has lodged defences in relation to defamation proceedings brought by the party to whom the offer is made. The offer must also be made in writing, and state expressly that it is an offer or, as appropriate, a qualified offer under this section. If it is a qualified offer in relation to a specific defamatory meaning, it must set out the meaning in relation to which it is made.
86.Subsection (3) makes provision in relation to withdrawal and deemed rejection of offers. An offer of amends may be withdrawn before it is accepted. If it is withdrawn, or in appropriate cases, even if it has not been withdrawn, it may subsequently be renewed (with such renewal being treated as a new offer). Provision is also made, in paragraph (c), for an offer to be deemed to have been rejected, by force of law, if not accepted within a reasonable period. In the event of dispute as to whether deemed rejection has taken place, it will be for the court to determine what amounts to a reasonable period in the circumstances of any given case.