Marsden v Amalgamated Television Services Pty Limited [1999] NSWSC 619

New South Wales Supreme Court CITATION : Marsden v Amalgamated Television Services Pty Limited [1999] NSWSC 619 CURRENT JURISDICTION : Common Law FILE NUMBER(S) : 20223 of 1995; 20592 of 1996 3, 12, 22-26, 29, 30, 31 March 1999 HEARING DATE(S) : 12-16, 19-23, 27, 28, 29 April 1999 3, 4, 7, 10, 14, 17-19, 24-28, 31 May 1999 1 June 1999 JUDGMENT DATE : 23 June 1999

JOHN MARSDEN (Plaintiff)

PARTIES : v

AMALGAMATED TELEVISION SERVICES PTY LIMITED (Defendant) JUDGMENT OF : Levine J

I Barker Q.C. G O'L Reynolds S.C. R G McHugh (Plaintiff) COUNSEL : W H Nicholas Q.C. R R Stitt Q.C. (31 May &1 June 1999) J S Wheelhouse (Defendant) Phillips Fox (Plaintiff) SOLICITORS : Mallesons Stephen Jaques (Defendant) CATCHWORDS : DEFAMATION - justification - late amendment application - principles - overreaching of plaintiff - supboena to produce documents - application to set aside - abuse of process Defamation Act 1974 (as amended) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) ACTS CITED : Police Service Act 1990 (NSW) Police Service Regulations 1990 (NSW) Supreme Court Rules Adelaide Steamship Company v Spalvins (1997) 24 ACSR 536 Ainsworth v CJC (1992) 175 CLR 564 Assaf v Skalkos (Levine J, unreported, 5 February 1998) Associated Dominions Assurance v John Fairfax & Sons Pty Limited (1952) 72 WN (NSW) 250 Associated Leisure Centre v Associated Newspapers Limited (1970) 2 QB 450 Atkinson v Fitzwalter (1987) 1 WLR 201 Bank of NSW v Withers (1981) 35 ALR 21 Batemans Bay Land Council v Aboriginal Fund (1998) 72 ALJR 1270 Botany Bay Instrumentation & Control Pty Ltd v Stewart [1984] 3 NSWLR 98 Clough & Rogers v Frog (1974) 48 ALJR 481 Commonwealth of Australia v McLean (1996) 41 NSWLR 389 Commissioner for Railways v Small (1938) 38 SR(NSW) 564 Commonwealth v Verwayen (1990) 170 CLR 394 Compsyd Pty Limited v Streamline Travel Service (1987) 10 NSWLR 648 Cropper v Smith (1884) 26 Ch D 700 at 701 Dare v Pulham (1982) 148 CLR 658 Douglas v John Fairfax & Sons Pty Limited (1983) 3 NSWLR 126 Esso v FCT (1998) 159 ALR 604 Excel Finance Corporation v Worthley (1993) 113 ALR 543 Finnie v Dalglish (1982) 1 NSWLR 400 Goldsmith v Sperrings (1977) 1 WLR 478 Hennessy v Wright [No. 2] (1890) 24 QBD 445 James v Cowan (1929) 42 CLR 305 Johns v ASC (1992-3) 178 CLR 408 Jones & Anor v TCN Channel Nine Pty Limited (Badgery-Parker J, unreported, 10 April 1992) Ketteman v Hansel Properties Limited (1987) 1 AC 189 King v John Fairfax & Sons Pty Limited (1983) 1 NSWLR 31 Lane v Registrar of Supreme Court (1981) 148 CLR 245 CASES CITED : Lee v Argas (1866) LR 2 Eq 59 Lucas Industries v Hewitt (1978) 45 FLR 174 Maisel v Financial Times (1915) LT 953 Marcel v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [1992] Ch 225 Meekosha & Anor v Special Broadcasting Corporation & Anor (Levine J, unreported, 18 September 1998) Morris v Director of the Serious Fraud Office [1993] Ch 372 Murphy v Nationwide News Limited & Anor (Hunt J, unreported, 26 October 1984). National Employees Mutual v Waind & Hill (1978) 1 NSWLR 372 O'Born v Commissioner for Government Transport (1959) 77 WN (NSW) 81 Plummer v Charman (1962) 1 WLR 1469 Re Barnes (1965) 1 NSWLR 697 Regina v Alexandroaia (1995) 81 A Crim R 286 Regina v Barton (1981) 2 NSWLR 414 Sali v SPC Limited (1993) 67 ALJR 8419 Sankey v Whitlam (1978) 142 CLR 1 Sims v Wran (1984) 1 NSWLR 317 Southern Pacific Hotel Services v Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation (1984) 1 NSWLR 710 Spencer Motors Pty Limited v LNC Industries Limited (1982) 2 NSWLR 92 State of Queensland v J. L. Holdings Pty Limited (1997) 189 CLR 146 Steele v Mirror Newspapers Limited (1974) 2 NSWLR 348 TCN Channel Nine Pty Limited v Antoniadis (1998) 44 NSWLR 682 Tedeschi v Franklins Limited (Levine J, unreported, 23 September 1994) The Queen v Associated Northern Collieries (1910) 11 CLR 738 TPC v Arnotts (1989) 88 ALR 90 TPC v CC (NSW) Pty Limited (1995) 58 FLR 426 Uren v John Fairfax & Sons Limited (1966) 117 CLR 118 Waind v Hill & Anor (1978) 1 NSWLR 372 Wilde v Australian Trade Equipment (1981) 145 CLR 590 Williams v Spautz (1991-1992) 174 CLR 509 Wran v ABC (1984) 3 NSWLR 241 DECISION : See paragraph 531