Mehajer v Seven West Media [2021] NSWDC 379

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Mehajer v Seven West Media [2021] NSWDC 379 Hearing dates: 5 August 2021 Date of orders: 5 August 2021 Decision date: 05 August 2021 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: Order: (1) Plaintiff's application for leave to file an amended statement of claim refused. (2) Pursuant to UCPR r 12.7(1), these proceedings are struck out and dismissed. (3) Plaintiff is to pay the defendant's costs of the proceedings. Catchwords: TORT – defamation – plaintiff commences proceedings for three publications made in 2017, 2019 and 2020 – statement of claim fails to attach matters complained of or to comply with pleading rules – plaintiff repeatedly fails to amend the pleadings or to comply with self-executing order – "reluctant gladiator" – proceedings summarily dismissed Legislation Cited: Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth) s 60(4) Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) ss 56 – 62 Defamation Act 2005 (NSW) s 42 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) ("UCPR") rr 1.12, 14.30, 15.1, Pt 3, 36.11(2) Cases Cited: Alex v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd; Alex v Whittaker; Alex v Goodsir; Alex v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd; Alex v The Age Company Ltd; Alex v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2016] NSWDC 96 Bailey v Marinoff (1971) 125 CLR 529 Baltinos v Johnson (Supreme Court of NSW, Levine J, 16 December 1994) Barakat v Goritsas [2002] NSWCA 8 Bi v Mourad [2010] NSWSC 817 Campbell v Regional Publishers Pty Ltd (Supreme Court of New South Wales, Levine J, 30 October 1998, unreported) Cyril Smith & Associates Pty Ltd v The Owners-Strata Plan No 64970 (No 2) [2011] NSWCA 245 Dank v Cronulla Sutherland District Rugby League Football Club Ltd [2014] NSWCA 288 Dennis v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2008] NSWCA 37 Douglas v John Fairfax & Sons Pty Ltd (1983) 3 NSWLR 126 Dow Jones and Company Inc v Gutnick [2002] HCA 56; 210 CLR 575 FAI General Insurance Co Ltd v Southern Cross Exploration NL (1988) 165 CLR 268 Gill v Eatts [1999] NSWSC 1056; (1999) Aust Torts Rep 81-529 Hanshaw v Seven Network (Operations) Ltd [2014] NSWSC 623 Harrigan v Jones [2000] NSWSC 814 Hoser v Hartcher [1999] NSWSC 527 Jenman v McIntyre [2013] NSWSC 1100 Jones v Dalungbara & Ngulungbara People of Kgari v Queensland and the Commonwealth [1998] QSC 108 Massarani v Kriz [2020] NSWCA 252 McCarey v Associated Newspapers Ltd (1965) 2 QB 86 Mehajer v Weston in his capacity as Trustee of the Bankrupt Estate of Salim Mehajer [2020] FCA 924 Moss v Eaglestone [2011] NSWCA 404; 83 NSWLR 476 Ogbonna v CTI Logistics Ltd [2021] WASCA 25 Porter v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2021] FCA 863 Sattin v Nationwide News Pty Ltd (1996) 39 NSWLR 32 Toben v Nationwide News Pty Ltd; Toben v Mathieson [2015] NSWSC 1784 Turner v Bulletin Newspaper Co Pty Ltd (1974) 31 CLR 69 Texts Cited: Law Reform Commission on Defamation Report 11 (1971) Hansard, 27 February 1974, pp 848 – 850 Category: Procedural rulings Parties: Plaintiff: Salim Mahajer