Jay & Anor v Petrikas & Ors (No.4) [2022] NSWDC 628

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Jay & Anor v Petrikas & Ors (No.4) [2022] NSWDC 628 Hearing dates: 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 30 November, 1 December 2022 Date of orders: 13 December 2022 Decision date: 13 December 2022 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Abadee DCJ Decision: See paragraphs 704 - 705 Catchwords: TORTS – injurious falsehood – plaintiffs hold offices within Rural Fire Service Brigades - three publications by other office holders within the Rural Fire Service comprising or relating to disciplinary complaints against the plaintiffs – publications caused investigation by investigator external to RFS – investigation determined that there was insufficient evidence of breaches of service standards – appointing officer elected not to refer matters for disciplinary action – the scope of the element to the tort that the representations concern the 'plaintiff and his or her property'– whether representations conveyed by the publications were false – whether malice actuated publications – whether causation established - whether the plaintiffs suffered actual damage – whether the plaintiffs' incurring of legal expenses at an investigation into allegations conducted in accordance with RFS procedures for investigations was intended or the natural and probable consequence of any malicious falsehoods DAMAGES – whether outstanding debt owed by a plaintiff to his lawyers, for which the other plaintiff is jointly and severally liable constitutes actual harm to both plaintiffs – whether aggravated and/or exemplary damages should be awarded Legislation Cited: Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) s 5D Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) s 136 Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth) ss 245-35 – 245-45 Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) Ombudsman Act 1974 (NSW) Rural Fire Regulation 2013 (NSW) rr 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 Rural Fires Act 1997 (NSW) ss 8, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21 Cases Cited: AMI Australia Holdings Pty Ltd v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd [2010] NSWSC 1395; [2011] Aust Torts Reports 82-077 Anon (1706) 88 ER 921 ASIC v Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (2011) 274 ALR 731 Badenach v Calvert (2016) 257 CLR 440 Ballina SC v Ringland (1994) 33 NSWLR 680 Barrow v Bolt [2014] VSC 599 Bauer Media Pty Ltd v Wilson (No.2) [2018] VSCA 154 Born Brands Pty Ltd v Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd [2011] NSWSC 642 Brookfield Multiplex Ltd v Owners Corporation Strata Plan 61288 (2014) 254 CLR 185 Edwards v State of New South Wales [2021] NSWSC 181 Euromoney Institutional Investor Plc v Aviation News Ltd [2013] EWHC 1505 Global Sportsman Pty Ltd v Mirror Newspapers Pty Ltd (1984) 2 FCR 82 Gray v Motor Accidents Commission (1998) 196 CLR 1 Hamod v New South Wales [2011] NSWCA 375 Hill v Van Erp (1997) 188 CLR 159 Hutley v Cosco [2020] NSWCA 17 Irving v Phingst [2021] QCA 280 Jay v Petrikas [2019] NSWDC 707 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298 KSMC Holdings Pty Ltd t/as Hubba Bubba Childcare on Haig v Bowden [2020] NSWCA 28 Lamb v Cotogno (1987) 164 CLR 1 Lendlease Real Estate Investments Ltd v GPT RE Ltd [2006] NSWCA 207 Mallock v Tabak [1977] VR 78 Mirror Newspapers Ltd v World Hosts Pty Ltd (1979) 141 CLR 632 New South Wales v Abed (2014) 246 A Crim R 549; [2014] NSWCA 419 New South Wales v Radford (2010) 79 NSWLR 327 New South Wales v Zreika [2012] NSWCA 37 Niche Products Ltd v MacDermid Offshore Solutions LLC [2014] ELMR 9; [2013] EWHC 3540 Noye v Robbins & Crimmins [2007] WASC 98 Noye v Robbins [2010] WASCA 83 Palmer Bruyn & Parker Pty Ltd v Parsons (2000) Aust Torts Rep 81-562 Palmer Bruyn & Parker Pty Ltd v Parsons (2001) 208 CLR 388 Palmer v McGowan (No.5) (2022) 404 ALR 621 Perre v Apand Pty Ltd (1999) 198 CLR 180 Pirmax Pty Ltd v Kingspan Insulation Pty Ltd [2022] FCA 1340 Radio 2UE Sydney Pty Ltd v Chesterton (2009) 238 CLR 460 Ratcliffe v Evans [1892] 2 QB 524 Roberts v Bass (2002) 212 CLR 1 Spedding v State of New South Wales [2022] NSWSC 1627 State of New South Wales v Abed [2014] NSWCA 419 The Checkout Pty Ltd v Cordell Jigsaw Productions Pty Ltd; Morrow v Cordell Jigsaw Productions Pty Ltd (No 13) [2022] NSWSC 444 Tinkler v Ferguson [2020] EWHC 1467 Trkulja v Markovic [2015] VSCA 298 Trobridge v Hardy (1955) 94 CLR 147 Uren v John Fairfax & Sons Pty Ltd (1966) 117 CLR 118 V'landys v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (No.3) [2021] FCA 500 Wallace v Kam (2013) 250 CLR 375 Wardley Australia Ltd v Western Australia (1992) 175 CLR 514 Whitbread v Rail Corporation New South Wales [2011] NSWCA 130 Wood v New South Wales [2019] NSWCA 313 XL Petroleum (NSW) Pty Ltd v Caltex Oil (Australia) Pty Ltd (1985) 155 CLR 448 Texts Cited: C Sappideen & P Vines, Fleming's The Law of Torts (10th ed), Thomson Reuters G Spencer Bower & K R Handley, Spencer Bower, Turner & Handley: Actionable Misrepresentation (4th ed, 2000, Butterworths London) G Spencer Bower, A Code of the Law of Actionable Defamation (2nd ed, Sweet & Maxwell, London, 1923) M Aronson & M Groves, Judicial Review of Administrative Action 5th ed, Thomson Reuters, 2013 R Parkes & G Busuttil (eds), Gatley on Libel and Slander (13th ed, 2022, Thomson Reuters) RP Balkin & JLR Davis, Law of Torts (3rd ed, LexisNexis) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Mr G Jay (first plaintiff) Mr J Peters (second plaintiff) Mr C Petrikas (first defendant) Mr D Ryan (second defendant) Mr I Wedge (third defendant) Ms K Hodges (fourth defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr T Brennan SC with Mr T Crispin for the plaintiffs Mr M Richardson SC with Mr T Senior for the defendants