CINEVEST LIMITED & ANOR v YIRANDI PRODUCTIONS LIMITED & ANOR [2001] NSWCA 68

Reported Decision : [2001] Aust Torts Reports 81-610 [2001] ACL Rep 145

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : CINEVEST LIMITED & ANOR v YIRANDI PRODUCTIONS LIMITED & ANOR [2001] NSWCA 68 FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40909/99 HEARING DATE(S) : 16/03/01 JUDGMENT DATE : 29 March 2001

Cinevest Limited PARTIES : Oscar Scherl Yirandi Prouctions Limited Ted Egan JUDGMENT OF : Spigelman CJ at 1; Meagher JA at 57; Handley JA at 58

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : Supreme Court LOWER COURT SC 20211/98 FILE NUMBER(S) : LOWER COURT Adams J JUDICIAL OFFICER :

COUNSEL : T Blackburn / R Glasson (Appellants) T Hale SC / M White (Respondents) SOLICITORS : Picone & Co (Appellants) Michael Frankel & Co (Respondents) CATCHWORDS : DEFAMATION - identification - whether questions of identification are for the jury to consider - Defamation Act 1974, s7A(3) - DEFAMATION - perverse decisions - connection between conduct relied on in imputations and defamation - "incompetence" LEGISLATION CITED : Defamation Act 1974 Cairns v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd [1983] 2 NSWLR 708 Costello v Random House Australia Pty Ltd (1999) 149 FLR 367 Dempster v Coates (NSW Court of Appeal, 11 April 1990, unreported) CASES CITED: Drummoyne Municipal Council v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1900) 21 NSWLR 135 Hepburn v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd [1984] 1 NSWLR 386 Morris v Newcastle Newspapers Pty Ltd (1985) 1 NSWLR 260 R v Young (1998-99) 46 NSWLR 681 DECISION : 1 Appeal allowed in part; 2 Set aside the verdict of the jury in respect of imputation (d); 3 Order a new trial with respect to imputation (d).