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Mickey Mouse money is a legal slang term used in English law to describe monetary awards by juries made in libel cases that are deemed to be excessive and disproportionate.

Background
The term "Mickey Mouse Money" was coined by Justice Michael Davies in 1989 during the libel case of Lord Aldington v Tolstoy, Watts where he directed the jury if they decided to award damages not to be excessive with their award stating: "You do not deal in Mickey Mouse money just reeling off noughts because they sound good". The jury eventually awarded the plaintiff £1.5 million.

Until 1990, the Court of Appeal of England and Wales did not have the power to alter "Mickey Mouse Money" awards made by juries and could only order a retrial. The Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 gave power to the court to be able to substitute jury awards if they deem them to be excessive or inadiquate. Since then, "Mickey Mouse money" awards have often been challenged and changed. One high profile example was in the case of Rantzen v Mirror Group Newspapers, where the initial award by the jury of £250,000 was cut to £110,000.