ALAN JONES v JOHN FAIRFAX PUBLICATIONS PTY LTD & ANOR [2002] NSWSC 1211

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : ALAN JONES v JOHN FAIRFAX PUBLICATIONS PTY LTD & ANOR [2002] NSWSC 1211 FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 20340 OF 1999 HEARING DATE(S) : 13 June 2002 JUDGMENT DATE : 18 December 2002

ALAN JONES (Plaintiff)

v PARTIES : JOHN FAIRFAX (PUBLICATIONS) PTY LTD (First Defendant)

DAVID LESER (Second Defendant) JUDGMENT OF : Levine J

T Blackburn (Plaintiff) COUNSEL : S Rares SC (Defendants) Blake Dawson Waldron (Plaintiff)

SOLICITORS : Freehills (Defendants)

CATCHWORDS : Contextual imputations - threshold issue of capacity of matter complained of to carry - mitigation of damages - post publication events LEGISLATION CITED : Defamation Act 1974 Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd v Marsden (1998) 43 NSWLR 158 Australian Broadcasting Corporation v McBride [2001] NSCA 322 Bishop v New South Wales [2000] NSWSC 1042 Chappell v Mirror Newspapers (1984) Aust Tort Rep 80-691 Coopers Brewery Ltd v Panfida Foods (1992) 26 NSWLR 738 Hansen v Border Morning Mail, Hunt J, unreported, 24 October 1986 Harb v Illawarra Newspapers Pty Ltd, Levine J, unreported, 10 November 1995 Hepburn v TCN Channel Nine [1984] 1 NSWLR 386 Jackson v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd [1981] 1 NSWLR 36 CASES CITED : John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd & Anor v Blake (2001) 53 NSWLR 541 MacGrath v Black (1925) 95 LJ KB 951 Maisel v Financial Times (1925) 112 LT 953 Marsden v Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd, Levine J, 4 May 1998 BC9801908 McBride v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2000] NSWSC 747 Middendorp Electric Co Pty Ltd v Sonneveld [2001] VSC 312 NRMA Insurance Ltd v Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd (1989) A Def R 50-055 TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd v Antoniadis (1998) 4 NSWLR 682 Waterhouse & Anor v Hickie (1995) Aust Tort Rep 81-347 Whelan & Anor v John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd & Ors [2002] NSWSC 1028 DECISION : See paragraph 40