Maxwellisation is the legal practice in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and Scots law that allows anyone who is criticised in an official report to respond prior to publication, based on details of the criticism received in advance. The process takes its name from the publisher

Robert Maxwell Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, member of parliament (MP), suspected spy, and fraudster. Early in his life, Maxwell escaped from N ...

. In 1969, Maxwell was criticised in a report by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as "unfit to hold the stewardship of a public company". Maxwell took the matter to court, where the DTI was said by the judge to have "virtually committed the business murder" of Maxwell. To avoid any repeat following the ruling, official policy was altered to ensure that prior notice would be given of critical findings. Relevant witnesses are shown the specific extracts of reports relating to them.

References

English civil law Government reports Legal doctrines and principles Robert Maxwell Scots civil law {{Scotland-law-stub