Year: 2004

Qualified Privilege    May 6, 2004

Gutnick v Dow Jones & Co Inc (No 4)

According to Justice Bernard Bongiorno, the High Court’s decision on qualified privilege in Bashford requires a “narrow focus both as to subject matter and audience”. Joe Gutnick has Dow Jones’ defences struck out ... more

 
Damages    April 23, 2004

Stephens v Vass

The plaintiff was CEO of Greyhound Racing Victoria, the regulatory body controlling greyhound racing and sued the publisher of a website called ‘Greyhound Hotline’ and also for hard copies of the article which falsely accused him of lying. Details of the case are from an article in the Age as there is no judgment reported and the decision seems to be by Supreme Court Master Wheeler who awarded $850,000, which is believed to be Victoria’s highest individual defamation payout. … more

 
More...    April 5, 2004

Beran v John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd

In the first perversity appeal since the High Court decision in Rivkin, Justice Ruth McColl goes through Dr Roy Beran’s imputations one by one and finds that it was reasonably open to the jury to reject his case against The Sydney Morning Herald ... more

 
Section 7A    March 3, 2004

Hodge v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd

Olympic swimming coach Greg Hodge gets up three imputations from A Current Affair’s Emma Fuller story: pervert, physical contact of a sexual nature and unfit to hold his position ... more

 
Truth    March 3, 2004

Burden v Ainsworth

NSW Court of Appeal moans about arcane defamation complications and deplorable delays as defendant’s defences are restored in Ainsworth case ... more

 
Qualified Privilege    February 29, 2004

Erglis v Buckley

Parliamentary privilege prevents pleading of further damage arising from defamatory letter republished in parliament ... more