Smith v Jones [2020] NSWDC 262

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Smith v Jones [2020] NSWDC 262 Hearing dates: 8 April 2020 Date of orders: 28 May 2020 Decision date: 28 May 2020 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Scotting DCJ Decision: (1) Verdict and judgment for the plaintiff in the sum of $84,281. (2) I order that the defendant is permanently restrained from publishing any defamatory imputation of and concerning the plaintiff found by the Court to be conveyed in the First Matter Complained Of and the Second Matter Complained Of as those terms are defined in the Amended Statement of Claim. (3) I order that the defendant is to permanently remove the First Matter Complained Of and the Second Matter Complained Of as those terms are defined in the Amended Statement of Claim from all websites on which either of them appears. (4) The defendant is to pay the plaintiff's costs on the ordinary basis as agreed or assessed. Catchwords: DEFAMATION – Defamatory matter – Capacity to convey pleaded imputations – Publication – Internet technologies – Remedies – Aggravated damages – Improper, unjustifiable or lacking in bona fides –Compensatory damages – Damage to reputation – Injury to feelings – Permanent injunctions Legislation Cited: Defamation Act 2005 Evidence Act 1995 Cases Cited: Bolton v Stoltenberg [2018] NSWSC 1518 Bristow v Adams [2012] NSWCA 166 Broome v Cassell & Co Ltd [1972] AC 1027 Chakravarti v Advertiser Newspapers Ltd (1998) 193 CLR 519 at 573-574 [134] Cripps v Vakras [2014] VSC 279 Dow Jones & Co Inc v Gutnick (2002) 210 CLR 575 Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd v Pedavoli (2015) 91 NSWLR 48 Hanson-Young v Leyonhjelm (No 4) [2019] FCA 1981 Morgan v Odhams Press Ltd [1971] 1 WLR 1239 Palmer Bruyn & Parker v Parsons (2001) 208 CLR 388 Radio 2UE Sydney Pty Ltd v Chesterton (2009) 238 CLR 460 Readers Digest Services Pty Ltd v Lamb (1982) 150 CLR 500 Sim v Stretch [1936] 2 All ER 1237 Slatyer v Daily Telegraph Newspaper Co Ltd (1908) 6 CLR 1 Stoltenberg v Bolton [2020] NSWCA 45 Triggell v Pheeney (1951) 82 CLR 497 Trkulja v Google LLC (2018) 263 CLR 149 Uren v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (1966) 117 CLR 118 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Mark Rodger Smith v Richard Jones Representation: Counsel: D Sibtain (Plaintiff)