A convicted drug smuggler is suing Channel Nine over a segment on A Current Affair that accused him of being a police informer and which a judge branded as “dangerous and irresponsible reporting” after he was attacked in prison.
In airing a ‘7:30′ segment that revealed racehorses were being slaughtered in violation of industry rules, the ABC acted with malice in what was a “set up” designed to make the head of Racing NSW “look bad”, a court has heard.
An Australian mother who posted a viral video of her son, who suffers from achondroplasia dwarfism, following a bullying incident has hit the Daily Telegraph’s publisher with a defamation lawsuit over a reporter’s retweet of conspiracy theories that the video was a fake.
Media companies that are fighting defamation proceedings over articles that accused decorated war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith of war crimes have won court permission to amend their defence to include evidence the soldier was involved in another alleged murder.
Underworld figure Mick Gatto has been denied a trial by jury in his defamation proceedings against the ABC, with the judge-only hearing scheduled to start next week.
Venture capitalist Elaine Stead has refused to go into a second round of mediation in her defamation case against the Nine-owned Fairfax Media Publications saying it would be a “waste of time”.
A judge has slammed a lawyer for her “abysmal arrogance and sense of privilege”, ordering her to pay $300,000 to her Balmain neighbour after a long-running property dispute culminated in a defamatory interview that was broadcast to over one million TV viewers on A Current Affair.
Former Liberal leader John Hewson has filed a defamation suit against Nine, claiming a report by A Current Affair about his insurance firm was gratuitous and “seriously dishonest”.
Daily Telegraph publisher Nationwide News has failed in its appeal of a judgment that found it defamed Geoffrey Rush in articles that accused the Oscar-winning actor of sexually inappropriate behaviour, with an appeals court describing the stories as a “sensationalised tabloid crusade”.
After claiming he could be vindicated only by giving evidence in open court, war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith looks likely to get his wish, as the parties to his defamation proceedings finalise negotiations with the Federal Government on the use of national security information.