Rader v Haines [2022] NSWCA 198

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Rader v Haines [2022] NSWCA 198 Hearing dates: 23 August 2022 Date of orders: 05 October 2022 Decision date: 05 October 2022 Before: Macfarlan JA at [1]; Brereton JA at [2]; Basten AJA at [90]. Decision: (1) Grant leave to appeal to the extent required. (2) Dismiss the appeal, with costs. Catchwords: DEFAMATION – Requirement of "serious harm" to reputation under Defamation Act 2013 (UK), s 1 – Limited publication – Time at which harm falls to be determined – Relevance of duration of period of harm – Relevance of delay in complaint and commencement of proceedings – Whether imputation regarding specific instance of conduct supports general imputation – Whether Court is required to determine that each conveyed imputation is defamatory in nature – Primary judge's conclusion that serious harm threshold not satisfied upheld DEFAMATION – Defences – Common law qualified privilege – Where matter complained of was an email sent to complainant's parents by his ex-wife's parents regarding family matters – Defining of privileged occasion – Relevance of conveyed imputations to occasion – Whether privilege lost by publication being actuated by malice Legislation Cited: Defamation Act 1974 (NSW), s 13 Defamation Act 2005 (NSW), ss 10A, 33 Defamation Act 2013 (UK), s 1 Cases Cited: Aktas v Westpac Banking Corporation Limited (2010) 241 CLR 79; [2010] HCA 25 Andreyevich v Kosovich (1947) 47 SR (NSW) 357 Bashford v Information Australia (Newsletters) Pty Ltd (2004) 218 CLR 366; [2004] HCA 5 Cush v Dillon; Boland v Dillon (2011) 243 CLR 298; [2011] HCA 30 Dow Jones v Gutnick (2002) 210 CLR 575 Enders v Erbas and Associates Pty Ltd [2014] NSWCA 70; (2014) Aust Torts Reports ¶82–161 Fairfax Media Publications Ltd v King [2015] NSWCA 172 Guise v Kouvelis (1947) 74 CLR 102 Hills v Tabe [2022] EWHC 316 (QB) Hockey v Fairfax Media [2015] FCA 652; (2015) 237 FCR 33 Jones v Sutton (2004) 61 NSWLR 614; [2004] NSWCA 439 Lachaux v Independent Print Ltd [2020] AC 612; [2019] UKSC 27 LVMH Watch & Jewellery Australia Pty Ltd v Michael Lassanah [2011] NSWCA 370 McCarey v Associated Newspapers Ltd (No 2) [1965] 2 QB 86 at 96-97 Mirror Newspapers v Fitzpatrick [1984] 1 NSWLR 643 Monroe v Hopkins [2017] EWHC 433; [2017] 4 WLR 68 Murray v Raynor [2019] NSWCA 274 Nationwide News v Warton [2002] NSWCA 377 Newman v Whittington [2022] NSWSC 249 Parris v Ajayi [2021] EWHC 285 Perkins v New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council, Badgery-Parker J, 15 August 1997, unreported Sobrinho v Impresa Publishing SA [2016] EWHC 66 Thornton v Telegraph Media Group [2011] 1 WLR 1985; [2010] EWHC 1414 (QB) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Damian Rader (a pseudonym) (Appellant) Donald Haines (a pseudonym) (First Respondent) Janet Haines (a pseudonym) (Second Respondent) Representation: Counsel: