Prouten v Buxton [2024] NSWDC 182

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Prouten v Buxton [2024] NSWDC 182 Hearing dates: 11-15 March, 24 May 2024 Date of orders: 04 June 2024 Decision date: 04 June 2024 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: (1) Judgment for the defendant. (2) Costs reserved, with liberty to apply. (3) Exhibits retained until further order. Catchwords: TORT – defamation – contretemps occurring when plaintiff and defendant were both using a shared path for cyclists and pedestrians – both parties complain to the police - defendant's Facebook post describing the incident widely shared on other Facebook pages - identification, defamatory meaning and publication – whether the defendant is liable for publications on Facebook pages other than his own where his original post is "shared" on other Facebook pages – defences of justification, honest opinion and offer to make amends - damages Legislation Cited: Defamation Act 2005 (NSW), ss 4, 12A, 15, 18, 25, 31, 42 Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), s 140 Cases Cited: Baker v Nightingale [2008] NSWDC 103 Bazzi v Dutton [2022] FCAFC 84 Belbin v Lower Murray Urban and Rural Water Corporation [2012] VSC 535 Bishop v New South Wales [2000] NSWSC 1042 Bolton v Stoltenberg [2018] NSWSC 1518 Brien v Mrad [2020] NSWCA 259 Briginshaw v Briginshaw (1938) 60 CLR 336; [1938] HCA 34 Browne v Dunn (1894) 6 R 67 Bryce v Rusden (1886) 2 TLR 435 Carolan v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd (No 6) [2016] NSWSC 1091 Carson v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (1993) 178 CLR 44 Cerutti & Anor v Crestside Pty Ltd & Anor [2014] QCA 33 Chase v News Group Newspapers Ltd [2002] EWCA Civ 1772; [2003] EMLR 11 Clark v Ainsworth (1996) 40 NSWLR 463 Dank v Cronulla Sutherland District Rugby League Football Club Ltd [2014] NSWCA 288 Defteros v Google LLC [2021] VSCA 167 Defteros v Google LLC (Costs) [2020] VSC 324 Dingle v Associated Newspapers Ltd (1964) AC 371 Dutton v Bazzi [2021] FCA 1474 El-Mouelhy v Q-Society of Australia Inc (No 2) [2015] NSWSC 990 Eshow v Bishop Mar Meelis Zaia [2019] VSC 465 Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd v Voller (2021) 273 CLR 346; [2021] HCA 27 Feldman v Polaris Media Pty Ltd as trustee of The Polaris Media Trust trading as The Australian Jewish News (No 2) [2018] NSWSC 1035 Football Club Ltd [2014] NSWCA 288 Google Inc v Duffy (2017) 129 SASR 304; [2017] SASCFC 130 Google LLC v Defteros [2022] HCA 27; (2022) 96 ALJR 766 Greiss v Seven Network Operations Ltd (Costs) [2024] FCA 377 Greiss v Seven Network (Operations) Limited (No 2) [2024] FCA 98 Habib v Radio 2UE Sydney [2009] NSWCA 231 Haddon v Forsyth [2011] NSWSC 123 Harrigan v Jones [2000] NSWSC 814 Holmes v Fraser [2008] NSWSC 570 Hoser v Harrison [2024] FedCFamC2G 436 Howe v Zuchowski [2024] VSCA 56 Jeffrey v Giles [2015] VSCA 70 John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd v Hitchcock (2007) 70 NSWLR 484 John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd v O'Shane [2005] NSWCA 164; 2005 ATR 81-789 Jones v Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd (1991) 23 NSWLR 364 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298; [1959] HCA 9 Korolak v Bauer Media Pty Ltd [2016] NSWDC 98 Kumova v Davison (No 3) [2023] FCA 171 Lehrmann v Network Ten Pty Limited (Trial Judgment) [2024] FCA 369 Li v The Herald & Weekly Times Pty Ltd [2007] VSC 109 Linnell v Channel Seven Sydney Pty Ltd [2014] NSWSC 20 Maisel v Financial Times Ltd [1915] 3 KB 336 Massoud v Nationwide News Pty Ltd (2022) 109 NSWLR 468; [2022] NSWCA 150 McGlen-McLeod v Galloway [2012] NSWCA 368 Mohareb v Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd (No 3) [2017] NSWSC 645 Noble v Phillips (No 3) [2019] NSWSC 110 O'Donnell v Lloyd [2020] NSWDC 787 Pamplin v Express Newspapers Ltd [1988] 1 WLR 117 Poniatowska v Channel Seven Sydney Pty Ltd (2019) 136 SASR 1; [2019] SASCFC 111 Pritchard v Van Nes [2016] BCJ No 781 Rid Novaya Gazeta and Zao Novaya Gazeta v Russia (App. No. 44561/11) [2021] ECHR 44561/11 Roberts-Smith v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited (No 36) [2022] FCA 578 Roberts-Smith v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd (No 41) [2023] FCA 555 Schmidt v Argent [2003] QCA 507 Selkirk v Wyatt [2024] FCAFC 48 Smith v ADVFN plc [2008] EWHC 1797 (QB) Speight v Gosnay (1891) 60 LJQB 231 Stead v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd [2021] FCA 15; 387 ALR 123 Stocker v Stocker [2018] EWCA Civ 170 Stocker v Stocker [2020] AC 593; [2019] UKSC 17 Stoltenberg v Bolton; Loder v Bolton [2020] NSWCA 45 Tabbaa v Nine Network Pty Ltd (No 10) [2018] NSWSC 468 Terluk v Berezovsky [2011] EWCA Civ 1534 The Sydney Cosmetic Specialist Clinic Pty Ltd v Hu [2022] NSWCA 1 Toomey v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (1985) 1 NSWLR 291 Voller v Nationwide News Pty Ltd; Voller v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd; Voller v Australian News Channel Pty Ltd [2019] NSWSC 766 Webb v Bloch (1928) 41 CLR 331; [1928] HCA 50 Wen Yue He v Chinese Newspapers Pty Ltd [2005] NSWSC 253 Wilson v Bauer Media Pty Ltd [2017] VSC 521 Texts Cited: Raymond Brown, Brown on Defamation (Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, United States), (2nd ed, 1994, Carswell) Dr M Collins, The Law of Defamation and the Internet, (3rd ed, 2010, Oxford University Press) Raven Maragh-Lord, "From 'Permit Patty' to 'Karen'", 2021 American Journal of Play, at 253 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Sandra Prouten (Plaintiff) Buxton Anthony (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr J Levine (Plaintiff) Ms M Cowden (Defendant)