Niall Horan has recently sued Express Newspaper over some articles that were published in the Daily Star in July 2015. The One Direction member was reported to have used hard drugs in an evening with other musicians Justin Bieber and Cody Simpson. The singer has won a round in his libel case against the publication as the judge dismissed the application saying that the article was capable of bearing the defamatory meaning that was claimed, an article from Independent.ie stated.
According to the article that was published, the 22-year-old singer used drugs-crystal meth or crack.
The publication on the other hand says that the articles do not bear the meaning of the case; it even asked Justice Dingermans at London's High Court to prevent the action in its tracks. However, the judge said that this was pertaining to the use of the Breaking Bad style drugs pipe. Breaking Bad is a TV series that is about the manufacture and the sale of hard drug crystal meth.
The headline of the article in question said "new drug storm" with a report that Horan was "staring blankly" with a comment that "rumours the singer were using hard drugs."
Including the statement that "there is no suggestion that this is the case" and together with requests from fans of One Direction as well as Horan that he should not use drugs, these carried the idea that the singer was not using drugs during that time. These were matters to consider when the actual meaning of the article was determined during that time.
On a related article, One Direction has recently declared on stage during their live performance at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball that they are going on an extended hiatus. They had an emotional time announcing this to their fans who filled the Staples Center on Friday. An article from E! Online reported
As the judge ruled in favor of Horan, the Irish singer was not present during the court ruling.