Christopher Chandler, billionaire co-founder of Legatum and prominent backer of GB News, has emerged victorious in a defamation case, securing an $8 million (£6 million) payout from a U.S. federal court after a Washington, D.C. jury ruled in his favour.
The award, one of the largest defamation verdicts in Washington’s history, delivers a striking blow to his accuser, Donald Berlin, and serves as a powerful vindication for Chandler (pictured), who had been wrongly accused of links to Russian espionage and organised crime.
The case centred on a “dodgy dossier” created by Berlin, a private investigator, in 2003. Commissioned by a client interested in Chandler’s background, Berlin’s dossier contained spurious allegations of money laundering, organised crime, and ties to Russian interests. According to court documents, the dossier was later picked up and circulated by certain MPs in 2018, leading to a wave of unfounded accusations against Chandler.
The false claims resurfaced when several MPs, including Labour MP Chris Bryant, repeated them during a parliamentary debate on sanctions and money laundering, forcing Bryant to later retract his comments.
After the allegations resurfaced it sparked a media frenzy and prompted Chandler to launch defamation proceedings. “False allegations that were made about me more than 20 years ago came to my attention in 2017 when they were resurrected by a few Members of Parliament,” Chandler told The Telegraph following the verdict. “They did so under the protection of parliamentary privilege, which then unleashed a media storm that spread a baseless, false and damaging narrative.”
In September 2023, the court ruled that Berlin’s accusations were both baseless and defamatory, describing the dossier as “a complete fabrication.” During the October 2024 trial, the jury heard how Berlin had constructed the false report by cutting and pasting news articles about unrelated businesses, inserting Chandler’s name to paint a picture of criminal misconduct. Chandler’s legal team urged the jury to deliver a verdict that “echoes for eternity,” and the jury ultimately awarded Chandler $8,000,001 in compensatory and punitive damages, citing Berlin’s malicious intent.
The verdict is a significant milestone for Chandler, marking the end of a six-year battle to clear his name. It also creates a landmark precedent in U.S. defamation law, particularly by extending D.C.’s statute of limitations to allow victims to pursue justice when defamatory claims come to light years after publication.
Despite numerous chances to apologise, Berlin reportedly refused to retract his accusations, pushing Chandler to take the matter to court. Chandler’s victory has prompted him to donate the awarded damages to Legatum’s philanthropic mission, supporting initiatives aimed at increasing prosperity for communities and individuals. “While the lies may continue to circulate on social media platforms, I intend to put this financial compensation to good use by continuing to support Legatum’s prosperity mission,” Chandler said.
Chandler, a New Zealand-born investor with business ventures across Hong Kong, Brazil, and Korea, founded Legatum in 2007 as both an investment fund and a force for social impact. The Dubai-based Legatum group also houses the UK-based Legatum Institute, a right-leaning think tank with strong links to the Conservative Party that has supported key issues, including Brexit. Legatum announced its investment in GB News in 2022, joining forces with Sir Paul Marshall’s All Perspectives investment fund to challenge mainstream broadcasters like the BBC with a £60 million capital injection.
The case sends a clear message to those who trade in falsehoods for profit. With the court’s decision, Chandler’s reputation is restored, while Berlin’s falsehoods serve as a cautionary tale of the risks inherent in character assassination.
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