Olesen v Nationwide News Pty Limited [2020] NSWDC 241

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Olesen v Nationwide News Pty Limited [2020] NSWDC 241 Hearing dates: 14 May 2020 Date of orders: 14 May 2020 Decision date: 26 May 2020 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: (1) The defendant's challenges to the capacity of the imputations (UCPR r 28.2) and their form dismissed; imputations (a) – (f) are reasonably capable of being conveyed. (2) The plaintiff has leave to file an Amended Statement of Claim incorporating particulars of special damage by 25 June 2020. (3) Defence filed and served by 30 July 2020. (4) Reply filed and served by 6 August 2020. (5) Matter stood over to the Defamation List on Thursday 13 August 2020. (6) Defendant is to pay the plaintiff's costs of the argument today, save for the costs thrown away by reason of the amendments set out in the draft served on the defendant on 30 January 2020. Catchwords: TORT – defamation – imputations – form and capacity Legislation Cited: Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 13.4, 14.28 and 28.2 Cases Cited: Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd v Marsden (1998) 43 NSWLR 158 Berezovsky v Forbes [2001] EWCA Civ 1251 Chase v News Group Newspapers Ltd [2002] EWCA Civ 1772; [2003] EMLR 11 Corby v Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd [2014] NSWCA 227 Drummoyne Municipal Council v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1990) 21 NSWLR 135 Favell v Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd (2005) 79 ALJR 1716 Hepburn v TCN Channel Nine Pty Limited [1983] 2 NSWLR 682 Hockey v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited [2015] FCA 652 Holmes v TCN Channel Nine Ltd (2007) 4 DCLR (NSW) 394 McCormick v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (1989) 16 NSWLR 485 Moran v Schwartz Publishing Pty Ltd [2014] WASC 334 Morgan v Odhams Press Ltd [1971] 1 WLR 1239 Sergi v Australian Broadcasting Commission [1983] 2 NSWLR 669 Singleton v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (Supreme Court of New South Wales, Hunt J, 20 February 1980) Stocker v Stocker [2019] UKSC 17 Toben v Milne [2014] NSWCA 200 Trkulja v Google LLC (2018) 263 CLR 149; (2018) 92 ALJR 619; (2018) 356 ALR 178; [2018] HCA 25 Texts Cited: R Parkes QC; Professor A Mullis; G Busuttil; A Speker; A Scott; C Strong, Gatley On Libel and Slander (12th ed, 2013, Sweet & Maxwell) Category: Procedural and other rulings Parties: Plaintiff: Michael Olesen Defendant: Nationwide News Pty Limited Representation: Counsel: Plaintiff: Mr T Molomby SC Defendant: Mr M Lewis