Overview
- Catrine Jarman’s claim over the disclosure of her multiple sclerosis diagnosis concluded in open court at the Royal Courts of Justice, where the settlement was recorded with orders for damages and costs and no admission of wrongdoing from Countess Karen Spencer.
- Earl Spencer is set to shoulder significant financial liabilities tied to the litigation, with reporting stating legal costs expected to top £2 million and £4,500 in damages to Jarman, alongside a formal loan toward her costs and an agreement to cover his ex‑wife’s fees.
- Jarman and her solicitor said the case affirmed her right to control who knows about her health, noted that no apology was offered and no full list of people told was provided, and said she will now return to her academic work and MS advocacy.
- Jarman’s ex‑husband, Tom, who first told the Countess about the diagnosis, said the private exchanges should never have become public and expressed regret that he misjudged her discretion.
- The hearing, held during Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week, highlighted that UK civil law treats a medical diagnosis as highly sensitive information that a person has the right to disclose on their own terms.