BBC 'sued for £150m' as David Sullivan fights back against Panorama documentary

· Mirror

The West Ham co-owner is suing the UK broadcaster over accusations of sexual misconduct

David Sullivan is suing the BBC for a reported £150million over the sexual assault allegations made against him in a Panorama documentary. The West Ham co-owner is set to put forward a High Court claim for 'damages suffered as a consequence of the publication of defamatory material in the BBC Panorama programme'.

Sullivan's representatives have been instructed to seek the compensation three months after the release of 'Predator: The Billionaire Football Boss.' The documentary put forward allegations from former models seeking work at Sullivan's Daily Sport and Sunday Sport newspapers.

In the programme, released on June 8, seven women accused the Hammers chief of abuses of power in a "casting couch" environment. Two days before the BBC documentary dropped, Sullivan resigned as director and co-chairman of West Ham. However, he still owns 38.8% of the club's shareholding.

The 77-year-old initially made his billionaire fortune in the porn industry before moving on to journalism and finally settling as a football club owner. The Panorama programme alleged that Sullivan pressured the women - six of them anonymous - into providing oral sex or intercourse with the promise of bolstering their careers.

The Hammers co-owner claimed that the accusations were "entirely false" and "sensationalised" in his statement, saying: "I have not been provided with any proper explanation as to how these individuals or their claims were independently verified or assessed for credibility prior to publication."

Sullivan added that the "entire process has been fundamentally unfair" and was "lacking in any due impartiality."

Following the BBC documentary, further reports found that police investigations dating back 18 years into sexual misconduct claims against the 77-year-old had been dropped without charges. Cases in 2008, 2021 and 2023 did not lead to prosecutions with inquiries mostly involving Essex Police.

It was also reported that the Football Association had implemented safeguarding measures to prevent Sullivan from having contact with West Ham's youth and women's teams. He denied that these actions constituted a "disciplinary ban" and argued they were merely a "temporary agreement."

Sullivan added: "The complaint had nothing to do about my time in football and it never happened."

The 77-year-old's representatives responded to the claims of a case, stating: > "We confirm that GSP Law Limited represents Mr David Sullivan ('our client') and that we have been instructed to issue and pursue a claim against the BBC for damages suffered by our client as a consequence of the publication of defamatory material in the BBC Panorama programme that was broadcast on 8 June 2026. > > "The BBC was made aware of this intention prior to broadcast and have been informed that a claim has now been filed with the High Court."

Mirror Football has reached out to the BBC for comment.

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