A Hong Kong High Court judge has ordered the defunct Apple Daily newspaper to pay HK$1.5 million in damages to a listed company and two of its senior executives. The judgment concerns a series of 10 articles published by the outlet that accused the plaintiffs of spying on pro-democracy activists on behalf of the Beijing government.

The court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs after the newspaper, which is currently being managed by liquidators following a government-led closure in 2021, failed to provide evidence to support the claims made in the articles. Because the publication is no longer operational, the legal defense did not contest the allegations during the proceedings. The ruling marks another legal development involving the assets and history of the media organization once owned by Jimmy Lai Chee-ying. The court determined that the articles were defamatory and necessitated financial compensation for the reputational harm caused to the company and the executives involved.