It is Edition 60!

A British-American biographical film, Denial is based entirely on the landmark UK case Irving Vs Penguin Books Ltd. & Deborah Lipstadt in 1996.
Rachel Weisz skilfully portrays the role of Deborah Lipstadt -a professor of Holocaust studies and author of several books on Holocaust. One of her famous books – History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier.

David Irving (played by Timothy Spall) a writer on Nazi regime in Germany files a libel lawsuit in the United Kingdom (UK) against Deborah Lipstdat and the publisher Penguin Books Ltd for declaring him a Holocaust denier in the book.

Now, any written statement that is published and damages reputation of a person is called libel. It is a written defamation. In the UK, as per law, the onus of proving a libel (or otherwise) is on the person(s) accused of libel.

The movie focuses on how Lipstdat and her illustrious legal team prepare and approach the case with sound research on facts. In the process they enlist the professional help of reputed historians and authorities on Holocaust and the Nazi Germany to prove their stand. They face David Irving, arguing his own case. Irving tries to tweak the facts presented in Court. The trial itself is a court trial and not trial by a jury. Lipstadt’s legal team risks in focusing only on Irving and his testimony, disregarding offers from Holocaust survivors to testify as witnesses.

At the height of the trial, the statement of Irving “No Holes, No Holocaust” dominated the news headlines when he testified that there were no holes in the chambers to gas the victims to death. How Lipstadt’s lawyer skilfully cross examines Irving and proves his theories as absurd forms the rest of the story. The movie won the best film award at the British Film awards in 2017. A true story. A must watch for those interested in history and the inexplicable / unjustifiable Holocaust horror.

Authored by Harold Kasselman, a Lawyer born and raised in Philadelphia and self-confessed Phillies baseball team fan, this is Kasselman’s maiden novel. He has skilfully combined sports and law into this story.

It is a high adrenaline baseball match between the Phillies (Philadelphia) and the Mets (New York). When Phillies rookie pitcher Tim Charles throws a ball against a Mets player, the serious injury becomes fatal as the player dies. What is believed to be a tragic outcome of a harmless game escalates into an unprecedented legal sports courtroom drama as Tim Charles is accused of homicide with a deliberate intention to kill. Read on as the trial alters the very nature of the baseball game and introduces accountability of action in a rugged sport.  The novel was appreciated for its unique blend of sports and law to bring out some lines that cannot be crossed in sport.

An American legal drama series with run time of almost 9 years, Suits is based on a fictional Law firm in New York. The centring theme is on college dropouts who join this prestigious firm. Nevertheless, they work with all their sincerity and might with their bosses despite not knowing anything about law. In each episode the boss and the juniors crack cases successfully while keeping their (non) legal background under wraps. The series was critically and commercially successful besides earning their cast several award nominations. It is now available on various streaming platforms.