David Sullivan sues BBC for £150m over Panorama sexual misconduct allegations
West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan has filed a £150m high court claim against the BBC over a Panorama documentary in which several women accused him of sexual misconduct. Sullivan denies the allegations as false.
David Sullivan, who remains a co-owner of Championship club West Ham United, has lodged a £150m high court claim against the BBC following a Panorama documentary that aired in June titled Predator: The Billionaire Football Boss.
The programme featured three women who alleged Sullivan abused his position as owner of the Sport newspapers to pursue them sexually while they were seeking work. A further four women accused him of exploitative and predatory conduct, including attempts to pressure them into sex during business meetings. As part of a joint investigation, the BBC and the Times said reporters had spoken to dozens of former models and industry figures.
Sullivan, a former pornographer, had vowed to pursue legal action even before the documentary broadcast. In a statement announcing his resignation as West Ham co-chair, he described the allegations as "factually incorrect and entirely false" and accused the media of sensationalising them.
Legal claim against the BBC
The high court claim, first reported by the Telegraph, accuses the BBC of libel and malicious falsehood. It states the documentary caused Sullivan severe and irreparable reputational harm, along with commercial alienation and financial losses. The BBC declined to comment.
Although Sullivan stepped down as co-chair, he remains West Ham's largest shareholder, holding 39% of the club. It has also emerged that he has faced restrictions on contact with the club's women's and youth teams since 2023, linked to a Football Association safeguarding investigation opened three years ago following a complaint. Through lawyers, Sullivan said the restrictions stemmed from a temporary negotiated agreement and that the underlying complaint concerned an alleged 1981 incident, which he said "never happened".
Following the documentary's broadcast, presenter Tony Livesey, who previously served as editor-in-chief of Sullivan's Sport newspapers, stepped back from the BBC. The new lawsuit adds to the broadcaster's legal troubles, as it is already defending a separate claim brought by US President Donald Trump over another Panorama episode.
