However, John Stables, for Riley, said the allegations caused Ms Riley serious harm.
“Given the gravity of the allegations made against the claimant and the extent of their publication, the objectively determinable harm caused by the defendant’s publication is so great as easily to surmount the threshold of serious harm,” he said in written submissions.
Mr Sivier had originally defended the libel claim on the grounds of truth and honest opinion as well as public interest.
In January 2021, Mrs Justice Collins Rice struck out all three of Mr Sivier’s defences, finding they had “no prospect” of succeeding at a full trial.
However, Mr Sivier won a challenge at the Court of Appeal four months later, finding his public interest defence should be assessed at a trial.
The trial before Mrs Justice Steyn is due to finish later this week, with a decision expected at a later date.
