Category: Trial reports

The second leg of bankrupt barrister Maurice Kriss’ action against Fairfax opened with Justice Michael Adams calling The Sydney Morning Herald’s campaign against bankrupt barristers “unjustified”. Blackburn calls for a disqualification ... more

Supreme Court jury finds for the defendant in pokie king Len Ainsworth’s 10-year defamation battle against a former NSW police commander. The defamatory letter was unlikely to cause the plaintiff harm ... more

First week of pokie entrepreneur Len Ainsworth’s all-issues jury trial revealed a web of connections between NSW police, politicians and lawyers. Plenty of bar table biffo from old adversaries Evatt and Stitt ... more

The Sydney Morning Herald says its news report about a Shoalhaven bushfire was reasonable despite an interview being conducted by a photographer, not a journalist ... more

Part Three – Second leg trial of NSW north coast newspaper stoush continues. The Byron Shire Echo accused The Saturday Star of underpaying an employee. A co-proprietor of the Star claims financial hardship ... more

Latest developments. Cross-claim by Fairfax and plaintiff against the State of NSW settled following discharge of the jury. The Sydney Morning Herald sought contribution because it republished defamatory information authoried by a State government firefighter ... more

Part Two – NSW Supreme Court trial of defences and damages. The Byron Bay newspaper wars continue as Ross Tucker proprietor of The Saturday Star comes under pressure from counsel for The Byron Shire Echo ... more

Part One – Conservative newspaper publisher in Byron Shire sues the Echo (now part of Eric Beecher’s stable) over “advertisement” by Fast Buck$ ... more

Trial aborted after two weeks of legal argument. One of the last remaining old system full jury defamation trials in NSW will have to start again after three jury discharges and the late withdrawal of the truth defence. The Court of Appeal needs more time to consider the admissibility of evidence ... more

“Shonky” building industry operator finally fails at jury trial on whether malice infected a 60 Minutes interview by Mike Munro 14 years ago ... more

Judge Gibson applies new law and terminates corporate plaintiff’s defamation proceedings in NSW. Action may head down the highway to Canberra ... more

NSW Court of Appeal upholds right of a jury to have an English language transcript of Greek radio broadcasts. Assessment of a transitory publication not undermined ... more