Dehsabzi & Dehsabzi v John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd (No 2) [2008] NSWDC 77

Reported Decision : 6 DCLR (NSW) 388

New South Wales District Court

CITATION: Dehsabzi & Dehsabzi v John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd (No 2) [2008] NSWDC 77

HEARING DATE(S): 15 May 2008

JUDGMENT DATE: 15 May 2008

JURISDICTION: Civil

JUDGMENT OF: Gibson DCJ

(1) Grant leave to the plaintiff to withdraw imputations (c), (d) and (e) for each of the first and second plaintiffs, with liberty to replead. (2) Dismiss the plaintiff's application for all issues to be determined by the jury instead of a jury empanelled pursuant to s 7A Defamation Act 1974 (NSW). DECISION: (3) All imputations, including any repleaded imputation(s) to replace imputations (c), (d) and (e) for each of the first and second plaintiffs (subject to any challenge to the repleaded imputation(s) by the defendant), are to go to the s 7A jury. (4) The costs of this application are the defendant's costs in the cause. (5) Matter stood over to the Defamation List on Friday 23 May 2008 at 9:00am to allocate a s 7A jury trial hearing date.

CATCHWORDS: DEFAMATION - jury trial - whether s 7A jury provisions procedural or substantive - whether s 7A is the appropriate procedure for interstate publications where there is no publication in New South Wales

Defamation Act 1974 (NSW), ss 7A, 9(3) and 16 Defamation Act 2005 (NSW), Sch 4 cl 2(3)(a) Defamation Amendment Act 2002 (NSW) LEGISLATION CITED: District Court Act 1973 (NSW), s 76B Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth), s 79 Supreme Court Act 1933 (ACT) Supreme Court Procedure Act 1900 (NSW), s 5(6)

Amalgamated Television Services v Marsden (1998) 43 NSWLR 158 Capital and Counties Bank Ltd v George Henty & Sons [1881-5] All ER Rep 86 Coleman v The Shell Co of Australia Ltd (1943) 45 SR 27 Crampton v Nugawela (1996) 41 NSWLR 176 David Syme & Co Ltd v Hore-Lacy [2000] VSCA 24 Dehsabzi & Dehsabzi v John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd [2007] NSWDC 247 Dennis v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2008] NSWCA 37 Don v Lippmann (1837) 5 Cl & Fin 1 English and Scottish Co-operative Properties Mortgage and Investment Society Ltd v Odhams Press Ltd [1940] 1 KB 440 Farquhar v Bottom [1980] 2 NSWLR 380 Fawcett v John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd [2008] NSWSC 139 Habib v Nationwide News Pty Ltd (2006) 65 NSWLR 264 Hepburn v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd [1984] 1 NSWLR 386 Hodge v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd [2006] NSWSC 933 Hore-Lacy v David Syme & Co Ltd [1998] VSC 96 Hore-Lacy v David Syme & Co Ltd [1999] VSC 36 John Fairfax & Sons Ltd v Foord (1988) 12 NSWLR 706 John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd v Gacic (2007) 230 CLR 291 John Pfeiffer Pty Ltd v Rogerson (2000) 203 CLR 503 Lewis v Daily Telegraph Ltd [1964] AC 234 CASES CITED: Lewis v Daily Telegraph Ltd [1963] 1 QB 340 May v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd (Supreme Court of NSW, case number 20199 of 2006) Minister for Army v Parbury Henty and Co (1945) 70 CLR 459 Mirror Newspapers Ltd v World Hosts Pty Ltd (1979) 141 CLR 632 Moselmane v Jones (District Court of NSW, Gibson DCJ, 14 August 2002, unreported) Morgan v Odhams Press Ltd [1971] 2 All ER 1156 O'Connor v Nationwide News Pty Ltd (1995) 128 FLR 61 Obeid v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (District Court of NSW, Gibson DCJ, 28 March 2003) Orsborn v John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd (Supreme Court of NSW, case number 20228 of 2004) Parker v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (Supreme Court of NSW, Hope, Samuels and Mahoney JJA, 30 May 1980, unreported) Perkins v Harris [1995] NSWCA 364 Plato Films Ltd v Speidel [1961] AC 1090 Poyser v Minors (1881) 7 QBD 329 Qureshi v John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd (Supreme Court of NSW, case number 20155 of 2006) Robinson v Laws & Anor [2001] QCA 122 Sleeman v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2002] NSWSC 1100 Steele v Mirror Newspapers Ltd [1974] 2 NSWLR 348 Talbot v Nationwide News Pty Limited [2006] NSWDC 59 Waterhouse v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1990) A Def R 50-070 (Supreme Court of NSW, Hunt J, 13 June 1990) Wm Cook Pty Ltd v Read [1940] VLR 214 Zollner Ltd v Municipal Council of Sydney (1917) 17 SR (NSW) 164