Rader v Haines [2021] NSWDC 610

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Rader v Haines [2021] NSWDC 610 Hearing dates: 23 – 24 August, 28 September and 1 November 2021 Date of orders: 17 November 2021 Decision date: 17 November 2021 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: Order: (1) Pursuant to Court Suppression and Non-Publication Orders Act 2010 (NSW) s 8 the names of the parties are suppressed and replaced with the pseudonyms adopted in this judgment. (2) Judgment for the defendants. (3) Costs reserved, with liberty to apply. Catchwords: Tort – defamation – plaintiff's parents-in-law send email to plaintiff's parents in England – content refers to ADVO proceedings involving their respective offspring following the breakdown of their marriage – parties agree that the applicable law is the Defamation Act 2013 (UK) – whether plaintiff can establish serious harm under s 1 of that Act – qualified privilege at common law – whether matter published on a protected occasion – malice – joint tortfeasors – whether the company employing the first defendant was vicariously liable for a publication sent by the first and second defendants using the company's email account – damages Legislation Cited: Court Suppression and Non-Publication Orders Act 2010 (NSW) s 8 Defamation Act 2005 (NSW) Defamation Act 2013 (UK) s 1 Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) s 174 Law Reform (Vicarious Liability) Act 1983 (NSW) s 7 Cases Cited: Adam v Ward [1917] AC 309 Aicken v Caledonian Railway Co [1912] SLR 45; [1913] SC 66 Avery v The Sydney Harbour Trust Commissioners (1905) 22 WN (NSW) 54 Barclays Bank plc v Various Claimants [2020] UKSC 13; [2020] AC Barrow v Bolt [2013] VSC 107 Barrow v Bolt [2015] VSCA 107 Bashford v Information Australia (Newsletters) Pty Ltd (2004) 218 CLR 366 Bonette v Woolworths Ltd (1937) 37 SR NSW 142 Briggs v Jordan [2013] EWHC 3217 (QB) Calwell v Ipec Australia (1975) 135 CLR 321 Cassegrain v Commonwealth Development Bank of Australia Ltd [2003] NSWCA 260 Chong v CC Containers Pty Ltd [2015] VSCA 137 Cooke & Anor v MGN Ltd & Anor [2014] EWHC 2831 (QB) Cornwell v Rowan [2004] SASC Cosco v Hutley (No 2) [2020] NSWSC 893 Cox v Minister of Justice [2016] UKSC 10 Dougherty v Chandler & Ors (1946) 46 SR (NSW) 370 Dougherty v Chandler (1946) 46 SR (NSW) 370 Dow Jones v Gutnick (2002) 210 CLR 575 Egger v Viscount Chelmsford [1965] 1 QB 248 Hijazi v Yaxley-Lennon [2021] EWHC 2008 (QB) Hockey v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd [2015] FCA 652 Hutley v Cosco [2021] NSWCA 17; 104 NSWLR 421 Jameel v Dow Jones [2005] EWCA Civ 75 Jones v Dunkel (1951) 101 CLR 298 KSMC Holdings Pty Ltd v Bowden [2020] NSWCA 28 Lachaux v Independent Print Ltd [2018] EWHC 620 Lachaux v Independent Print Ltd [2019] UKSC 27 Lachaux v Independent Print Pty Ltd and another [2021] EWHC 1797 (QB) Lillie and another v Newcastle City Council [2002] All E R (D) 465 McCarey v Associated Newspapers Ltd (No 2) [1965] 2 QB 86 Mizikovsky v Queensland Television Ltd & Ors (No 3) [2011] QSC 375 Murray v Raynor [2019] NSWCA 27 Neilson v Overseas Projects Corp (Vic) Ltd (2005) 223 CLR 231 Polson v Harrison [2021] NSWCA 23 Precision Plastics Pty Ltd v Demir (1975) 132 CLR 362 Reberger v R [2011] NSWCCA 132 Roberts v Bass (2002) 212 CLR 1 Slavin v Owners Corporation Strata Plan 16857 [2006] NSWCA 71 Spencer v Bamber [2012] NSWCA 274 Thornton v Telegraph Media Group [2011] 1 WLR 1985; [2010] EWHC 1414 (QB) Toogood v Spyring (1834) 149 ER 1044 Triguboff v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd [2018] FCA 845 Trkulja v Markovic [2015] VSCA 298 V'Landys v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (No 3) [2021] FCA 500 Vakauta v Kelly (1989) 167 CLR 568 W M Morrison Supermarkets plc v Various Claimants [2017] EWCA 2339 W M Morrison Supermarkets plc v Various Claimants [2020] AC 973 W M Morrison Supermarkets plc v Various Claimants [2020] UKSC 12; [2020] AC 989 Wagner v Nine Network Australia [2019] QSC 284 Webb v Bloch (1928) 41 CLR 331 Weissensteiner v The Queen (1993) 178 CLR 217 Texts Cited: The Hon Justice P L G Brereton AM RFD, "Proof of Foreign Law: Problems and Initiatives", Address to the Sydney University Law School Symposium, "The Future of Private International Law", 16 May 2011), Category: Principal judgment Parties: Plaintiff: Mr Damian Rader