Tag Archives: grapevine effect

Lying defamation defendant shot down by Sporting Shooters – $887,027.66 in damages: Moroney v Zegers [2018] VSC 448

Posted on August 20, 2018 by

For a short time in 2012, Karel Zegers was the Acting President of the Victorian branch of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (SSAAV).  His position on the Board was up for election in August that year and he decided … Continue reading →

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Politician not so pushy – Sophie Mirabella wins $175,000: Mirabella v Price & Benalla Newspapers Pty Ltd [2018] VCC 650

Posted on August 15, 2018 by

Sophie Mirabella was the Member of the House of Representatives for the seat of Indi in rural Victoria from 2001 to 2013. In 2015, the Liberal Party pre-selected her once again to run in the 2016 election. Her opponent was … Continue reading →

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Court of Appeal rules that Rebel Wilson’s damages not special: Bauer Media Pty Ltd v Wilson [2018] VSCA 154

Posted on July 24, 2018 by

The Victorian Court of Appeal has ruled that Rebel Wilson’s $4.5 million record damages verdict is no longer the record, rejecting her claim for special damages and cutting the figure down to $600,000. While this was a big win for … Continue reading →

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Rebel Wilson’s Perfect Defamation Record: Wilson v Bauer Media Pty Ltd & Anor [2017] VSC 521

Posted on September 14, 2017 by

Rebel Wilson, Hollywood starlet and Australian heroine has added another chapter to her success, this time in real life Australian court. Her defamation victory is by far the largest victory in the history of Australian defamation law, and her lesson … Continue reading →

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Crushed Rock damages ruled too soft on appeal: Jeffrey & Curnow v Giles [2015] VSCA 70

Posted on May 25, 2015 by

Jeffrey and Curnow were defamed by statements made by Virginia Giles on a website in 2011. The plaintiffs were directors of a company, Casacir Pty Ltd, which operates a quarry in the south of Victoria. The defendant’s company owned the … Continue reading →

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Facebook and Twitter damages music to teacher’s ears: Mickle v Farley [2013] NSWDC 295

Posted on February 16, 2015 by

Orange is a large rural town in Western New South Wales and its High School became a site for a landmark defamation verdict. Yes, this case happened a while ago, but in our new age of social media, an interesting … Continue reading →

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Defendants’ go all-in: Plaintiff calls their bluff and wins the $340,000 pot: Polias v Ryall & Ors [2014] NSWSC 1692

Posted on February 9, 2015 by

The plaintiff and four defendants were poker players used to playing high stakes games: hands worth thousands of dollars. In the middle of 2012, the plaintiff and the first defendant went to Las Vegas for a tournament and shared a … Continue reading →

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Mildura Water Corporation Appeal hosed down: Lower Murray Urban and Rural Water Corporation v Di Masi & Ors [2014] VSCA 104

Posted on January 21, 2015 by

In 2012, a jury in the Supreme Court of Victoria sat in Mildura, a small orange-picking town on the border of NSW, for 22 days (there were a further four days of legal argument) and heard a defamation case. At … Continue reading →

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Emphatic win for Aspergers’ Advocate: Gluyas v John Best Junior [2013] VSC 3

Posted on February 1, 2013 by

Now 47, Philip Gluyas was 31 when he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. On the one hand, Asperger’s can mean that a person has difficulties empathizing with people and dealing with social interactions that many people take forgranted. On the … Continue reading →

Posted in Damages, Defamatory meaning, Trial | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Murray Water Corporation sent down the river for $295,000: Belbin& Others v Lower Murray Urban and Rural Water Corporation [2012] VSC 535

Posted on January 9, 2013 by

In the northwest of Victoria sits the orange-picking town of Mildura on the Murray River. To get there from Melbourne usually involves a 6-hour drive or a small flight on a plane with a flip-top lid. But it was there … Continue reading →

Posted in Damages, fair and accurate report, Qualified privilege, Reciprocal duty-interest, Trial, Truth | Tagged , | 1 Comment