Peter Wilmshurst has been hit with another libel action from NMT Medical.

The cardiologist’s legal problems with NMT have become a cause celebre among libel reform circles in the UK, following Simon Singh’s ultimately successful battle with the British Chiropractic Association. His troubles began after he spoke at a conference in 2007 regarding research he was involved in on an NMT product, triggering a lawsuit from the Boston-based firm.

NMT last year threatened to start another libel action against Wilsmhurst, who works at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, over comments he made about the case to BBC radio in November 2009. According to his solicitor, Mark Lewis, the company started that claim in November 2010, a year after the radio interview and on the limit for claims under UK law. They have now waited the maximum possible time to serve the claim, he adds.

“This is a transparent abuse of a system to try and bully Doctor Wilmshurst rather than trying to protect a reputation,” says Lewis. “If they were really concerned about their reputation they would have issued proceedings against Doctor Wilmshurst immediately after the radio interview”

Nature has left a message with NMT asking for comment on this issue.