The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has dropped its only remaining defence in a defamation case by ex-commando Heston Russell over articles that alleged he was involved in war crimes, citing promises to protect a source’s identity.
Former SAS corporal Ben Roberts-Smith has filed an appeal after he lost his defamation case against Nine-owned Fairfax in a ruling that found he committed murder in Afghanistan and was not a reliable witness.
A court has ordered Google to provide former Victorian Labor candidate Nurul Khan with account information and IP addresses relating to an anonymous email sent to the ALP last November, which led to his disendorsement by the party just two weeks before the state election.
ABC and Network Ten are “very concerned” that Parliament House claims to not have CCTV footage from the night former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann allegedly raped Brittany Higgins, and have flagged an application to question a government officer over the claim.
The NSW Bar Council has resolved to reprimand leading defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC over her decision to accept a brief from former Attorney-General Christian Porter despite receiving confidential information from a friend of his accuser.
Seven and law firm Herbert Smith Freehills have lost a bid to set aside subpoenas issued by Fairfax, as the publisher seeks third party costs orders against Seven for funding disgraced soldier Ben Roberts-Smith’s unsuccessful defamation case.
A judge has knocked back a bid by the Australian Federal Police to have an upcoming trial over an allegedly defamatory press conference run on a stripped-back ‘first impression’ basis.
A psychiatrist has reached a confidential settlement with Harper Collins in his defamation case over a book about the controversial deep sleep therapy at the Chelmsford Private Hospital in the 1970s.
The office of the special investigator wants access to evidence in Ben Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation case, a court has heard, while Fairfax says it needs to see invoices from Herbert Smith Freehills to the soldier’s financial backer, Seven chairman Kerry Stokes, in its bid for costs.
Nine has partially won its bid to include evidence about the reputation of Euro Pacific CEO Peter Schiff in an attempt to minimise the damages it will owe after abandoning its substantive defences in defamation proceedings by the bank boss.