Former MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace is seeking damages of up to £10,000 from the BBC and one of its subsidiaries after they allegedly caused him “harm and harassment” by failing to disclose his personal details, court documents reveal.
Mr Wallace is suing the BBC and BBC Studios Distribution Limited after being sacked in July.
His dismissal followed an investigation into historical allegations of misconduct that substantiated numerous allegations against him.
The BBC and BBC Studios are yet to present their defense to the claim (Ian West/PA)
The BBC and BBC Studios have not yet submitted their defense to the claim.
In court documents seen by the PA news agency, lawyer Lawrence Power said Mr Wallace had asked the BBC and BBC Studios for “personal information” relating to “his work, contractual arrangements and conduct”.
Mr Power continued that Mr Wallace made subject access requests (SARs) to both the BBC and BBC Studios on 6 March.
Requests to access personal data must be processed within a month, but this period can be extended if the information is complex, Mr Power said.
The lawyer continued that the BBC emailed Mr Wallace on 7 August to apologize for the delay and stated that they were “taking all reasonable steps” to process the request “as promptly as possible”, but he had yet to receive a response.
BBC Studios is said to have told Mr Wallace it was withholding some of his personal details due to “freedom of expression”.
Mr Power said the authority “incorrectly redacted” the information and “illegally failed to provide all of the complainant's personal details”.
He said: “Because the defendants failed to fully comply with the plaintiff's SARs in relation to his own personal data, the defendants acted in breach of their statutory duties and thereby caused the plaintiff distress and harassment.”
Mr Power said Mr Wallace was seeking damages for “distress, harassment and loss of amenity not to exceed £10,000”, damages under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and interest.
He is also seeking a court order that the BBC and BBC Studios comply with requests to access the subject.
