Massoud v Nationwide News Pty Ltd; Massoud v Fox Sports Australia Pty Ltd [2022] NSWCA 150

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Massoud v Nationwide News Pty Ltd; Massoud v Fox Sports Australia Pty Ltd [2022] NSWCA 150 Hearing dates: 11, 12 April 2022 Decision date: 18 August 2022 Before: Leeming JA at [1]; Mitchelmore JA at [293]; Simpson AJA at [294]. Decision: In 2021/240231: Grant leave to appeal if leave be necessary, but dismiss the appeal with costs. In 2021/303842: Grant leave to appeal, dispense with the requirements of filing and service of a notice of appeal, and dismiss the appeal with costs. In 2021/343783: Dismiss the summons with costs. Catchwords: DEFAMATION – imputations – whether imputations conveyed by publications – plaintiff alleged alternative imputations - whether plaintiff entitled to decision that publication conveyed primary imputation as opposed to imputation most accurately reflected in publication – "single meaning rule" considered – contextual truth – whether contextual imputations conveyed DEFAMATION – justification – report of plaintiff's offensive language mis-stated – plaintiff said to colleague "if you weren't so young I'd come up there and rip your head off and shit down your throat" – reported as threat to "slit" colleague's throat – significance of conditionality of language – significance of impossibility of literal meaning of plaintiff's language – whether publication nevertheless substantially true DEFAMATION – honest opinion – fact/opinion distinction – significance of non-verbal and contextual aspects of publication – whether factual statements and opinion inextricably intermingled – whether opinion based on proper material DEFAMATION – offer of amends – offer to publish "correction" – offer did not include acknowledgement of error or statement of correct position – offer to publish matters claimed by plaintiff – offer held not to amount to correction for purposes of statutory defence APPEALS – principles governing appellate review – principles vary depending on nature of challenge – no obligation to resolve non-dispositive submissions – consideration of principle of judicial economy – consideration of "substantial wrong or miscarriage" precondition to ordering new trial – UCPR r 51.53 considered – significance of rule in case of judge-alone trial – significance of rule if evidence found to be wrongly rejected – relation between rule and s 56 of Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), s 56 Common Law Procedure Act 1853 (NSW), s 37 Criminal Appeal Act 1912 (NSW), s 6 Criminal Code (Qld), s 377 Criminal Law Amendment Act 1883 (NSW), s 423 Defamation Act 1974 (NSW), Division 7 of Part 3 Defamation Act 2005 (NSW), ss 15, 24, 25, 26, 31, 35, 38 Defamation Amendment Act 2020 (NSW) District Court Act 1973 (NSW), s 127 Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), s 144 Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), s 789FD Jury Act 1977 (NSW), s 68C Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW), s 75A Supreme Court Rules 1970 (NSW), Pt 51 r 16, Pt 51 r 23 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), r 14.18, 14.30, 51.36, 51.53 Cases Cited: Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd v Marsden [2002] NSWCA 419 Australian Broadcasting Corporation v Chau Chak Wing (2019) 271 FCR 632; [2019] FCAFC 125 Australian Securities and Investments Commission v Lanepoint Enterprises Pty Ltd (2011) 244 CLR 1; [2011] HCA 18 Bailey v WIN Television NSW Pty Ltd (2020) 104 NSWLR 541; [2020] NSWCA 352 Balenzuela v De Gail (1959) 101 CLR 226; [1959] HCA 1 Bellino v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1996) 185 CLR 183; [1996] HCA 47 Boensch v Pascoe (2019) 268 CLR 593; [2019] HCA 49 Bray v Ford [1896] AC 44 Brunner v Greenslade [1971] Ch 993 Carr v Hood (1808) 1 Camp 355n; 170 ER 983 Cavanagh v Manning Valley Race Club Ltd [2022] NSWCA 36 Channel Seven Adelaide Pty Ltd v Manock (2007) 232 CLR 245; [2007] HCA 60 Cheema v State of New South Wales (2020) 102 NSWLR 714; [2020] NSWCA 190 Chen v State of New South Wales [2016] NSWCA 177 Coleman v Power (2004) 220 CLR 1; [2004] HCA 39 Cornes v Ten Group Pty Ltd (2011) 114 SASR 1; [2011] SASC 104 Cornes v Ten Group Pty Ltd (2012) 114 SASR 46; [2012] SASCFC 99 Cornwell v The Queen (2007) 231 CLR 260; [2007] HCA 12 Dakhyl v Labouchere [1908] 2 KB 325n Donoghue v Hayes (1831) Ir Ex 265 Edwin Davey Pty Ltd v Boulos Holdings Pty Ltd [2022] NSWCA 65 Expense Reduction Analysts Group Pty Ltd v Armstrong Strategic Management and Marketing Pty Ltd (2013) 250 CLR 303; [2013] HCA 46 Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd v Bateman (2015) 90 NSWLR 79; [2015] NSWCA 154 Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd v Gayle; The Age Company Pty Ltd v Gayle; The Federal Capital Press of Australia Pty Ltd v Gayle (2019) 100 NSWLR 155; [2019] NSWCA 172 Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd v Kermode (2011) 81 NSWLR 157; [2011] NSWCA 174 Feldman v Polaris Media Pty Ltd as Trustee of the Polaris Media Trust t/as The Australian Jewish News (2020) 102 NSWLR 733; [2020] NSWCA 56 Fox v Percy (2003) 214 CLR 118; [2003] HCA 22 Fraser v Holmes [2009] NSWCA 36; 253 ALR 538 Gatto v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2022] VSCA 66 Gaynor v Attorney General for New South Wales (2020) 102 NSWLR 123; [2020] NSWCA 48 Grobbelaar v News Group Newspapers Ltd [2002] UKHL 40; 1 WLR 3024 Gulic v Boral Transport Ltd [2016] NSWCA 269 Gumina v Williams (No 2) (1990) 3 WAR 351 Hanson-Young v Leyonhjelm (No 4) [2019] FCA 1981 Harbour Radio Pty Ltd v Ahmed (2015) 90 NSWLR 695; [2015] NSWCA 290 Herron v HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty Ltd [2022] FCAFC 68 Hill v Zuda Pty Ltd [2022] HCA 21; 96 ALJR 540 Holt v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd (2014) 86 NSWLR 96; [2014] NSWCA 90 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499; [1936] HCA 40 Hunt v Star Newspaper Company Ltd [1908] 2 KB 309 John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd v O'Shane [2005] NSWCA 164; [2005] Aust Torts Rep 81-789 Kemsley v Foot [1952] AC 345 Lee v Lee (2019) 266 CLR 129; [2019] HCA 28 Lewis v Daily Telegraph Ltd [1964] AC 234 Massoud v Radio 2GB Sydney Pty Ltd; Massoud v Fox Sports Australia Ltd; Massoud v Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation Pty Ltd; Massoud v Nine Digital Pty Ltd; Massoud v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2021] NSWDC 336 Michael Wilson & Partners Ltd v Nicholls (2011) 244 CLR 427; [2011] HCA 48 Minister for Immigration and Border Protection v SZVFW (2018) 264 CLR 541; [2018] HCA 30 Nationwide News Pty Ltd v Vass (2018) 98 NSWLR 672; [2018] NSWCA 259 NSW Arabian Horse Association Inc v Olympic Co-ordination Authority [2005] NSWCA 210 O'Shaughnessy v Mirror Newspapers Ltd (1970) 125 CLR 166; [1970] HCA 52 Obeid v Lockley (2018) 98 NSWLR 258; [2018] NSWCA 71 Pamplin v Express Newspapers Ltd [1988] 1 WLR 116 Paolucci v Makedyn Pty Ltd [2021] NSWCA 215 Pervan v North Queensland Newspaper Co Ltd (1993) 178 CLR 309; [1993] HCA 64 PPK Willoughby Pty Ltd v Baird [2021] NSWCA 312 Qantas Airways Ltd v A F Little Pty Ltd [1981] 2 NSWLR 34 R v Ireland [1997] 1 All ER 112 Radin v The Law Society of New South Wales [1997] NSWCA 257 Radio 2UE Sydney Pty Ltd v Chesterton (2009) 238 CLR 460; [2009] HCA 16 Re Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance; Ex parte Hoyts Corporation Pty Ltd (No 2) [1994] HCA 66; 68 ALJR 179 Royal Bank of Canada v IRC [1972] Ch 665 State of New South Wales v IG Index plc (2007) 17 VR 7; [2007] VSCA 212 State Rail Authority of New South Wales v Brown (2006) 66 NSWLR 540; [2006] NSWCA 220 Stocker v Stocker [2020] AC 593; [2019] UKSC 17 Stuart v Lovell (1817) 2 Stark 93; 171 ER 583 Tabbaa v Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd [2019] NSWCA 69 Taylor v Council of the Law Society of New South Wales [2020] NSWCA 273 Telnikoff v Matusevitch [1992] AC 343 Tory v Megna [2007] NSWCA 13 Tuberville v Savage (1669) 86 ER 684 Un v Chow [2018] NSWCA 287 Warren v Coombes (1979) 142 CLR 531; [1979] HCA 9 Waterways Authority v Fitzgibbon [2005] HCA 57; 79 ALJR 1816 West v Dick [1969] 2 Ch 424 White Constructions Pty Ltd v PBS Holdings Pty Ltd [2020] NSWCA 277 XL Petroleum (NSW) Pty Ltd v Caltex Oil (Australia) Pty Ltd (1985) 155 CLR 448; [1985] HCA 12 Zhang v ROC Services (NSW) Pty Ltd; National Transport Insurance by its manager NTI Ltd v Zhang (2016) 93 NSWLR 561; [2016] NSWCA 370 Texts Cited: J Carter, The Construction of Commercial Contracts (Hart Publishing, 2013) M Collins, The Law of Defamation and the Internet (2nd ed Oxford University Press, 2005) N Duxbury, The Intricacies of Dicta and Dissent (Cambridge University Press, 2021) S Gageler, "Common Law Statutes and Judicial Legislation: Statutory Interpretation as a Common Law Process" (2011) 37(2) Monash University Law Review 1 K Gould, "The proper focus of defamation defences and the challenge of inconsistency" (2010) 33 Australian Bar Review 258 A Kenyon, "Six Years of Australian Uniform Defamation law: Damages, Opinion and Defence Meanings" (2012) 35 UNSWLJ 31 P Mitchell, The Making of the Modern Law of Defamation (Hart Publishing, 2005) D Price, K Duodu and N Cain, Defamation: Law, Procedure and Practice (Sweet & Maxwell, 4th ed 2010) D Rolph, "A critique of the national, uniform defamation laws" (2008) 16 Torts Law Journal 207 A Scalia and B Garner, Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts (Thomson/West 2012) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Josh Massoud (Appellant and Applicant) Nationwide News Pty Ltd (First Respondent in 2021/240231 and 2021/343783) Radio 2GB Sydney Pty Ltd (Second Respondent in 2021/240231 and 2021/343783) Fox Sports Australia Pty Ltd (First Respondent in 2021/303842) Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation Pty Ltd (Second Respondent in 2021/303842) Nine Digital Pty Ltd (Third Respondent in 2021/303842) Representation: Counsel: T Molomby SC, L Goodchild (Mr Massoud) D Sibtain, T Senior (Respondents)