NSW Caselaw
Reported Decision : (2004) Aust Torts Reports 81-733
New South Wales Supreme Court
CITATION : O'Shane v John Fairfax Publications Ltd [2004] NSWSC 140 HEARING DATE(S) : 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24 June 2003 JUDGMENT DATE : 16 March 2004 JURISDICTION: Common Law Defamation List JUDGMENT OF : Smart AJ at 1 DECISION : See paras 245-246
CATCHWORDS : Was material complained of Fact or Comment - Serious imputations found - Defence of Comment - whether article based on proper material for comment - whether author of article was agent of defendant or a stranger - Availability of defence of qualified privilege at common law as extended by Lange and by statute - publication of material complained of not reasonable - factors underlying assessment of damages - aggravated damages - no malice. LEGISLATION CITED : Crimes Act 1900 s 29, s 33A Defamation Act 1974 Australian Capital Television Broome v Cassels & Co Ltd [1972] AC 1027 at 1071 Carleton v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2002] ACT 127. Clarke v Norton [1910] VLR 494 at 499 Crampton v Nugawela (1996) 41 NSWLR 176 at 193 Cunliffe v The Commonwealth (1993-94) 182 CLR Toohey J at 379 Derbyshire County Council v Times Newspapers Ltd [1993] AC at 547?8 Hunt v Star Newspaper [1908] 2 KB 309 at 319-320 John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd v Attorney-General CASES CITED : (2000) 181 ALR 694 Morgan v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (1990) 20 NSWLR 511 and (1991) 23 NSWLR 374 Nationwide News Pty Ltd v Wills (1992) 177 CLR at 74 Popovic v Herald & Weekly Times [2002] VSC 174 R v Nicholls (1911) 12 CLR 280 at 285 and 282-3 Sims v Wran, 1984 1 NSWLR 317 at 322 Smith v Harris [1995] A Def R [52055] at 43,870 Stephens v West Australian Newspapers Ltd (1992) 177 CLR 1 Telnikoff v Matusevitch [1992] 2 AC 343 at 352. Theopanous v Herald & Weekly Times Ltd (1993-94) 182 CLR at 124 Williams v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (1994) A Def R 52,010 PARTIES : Patricia June O'Shane v John Fairfax Publications Pty Limited FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 20527/00 COUNSEL : (P) B McClintock SC & R Weaver (D) B Walker SC & R Glasson SOLICITORS : (A) Aitken McLachlan Thorpe (D) Freehills
We try to embed the page this law was scraped from. If the site blocks framing, you still get the link and a local excerpt.
Last checked with source on —
Checking whether the official page can be embedded…
Plain-English simplify of this law: a short summary, key points, and both sides of the argument. Generated on first view via Replicate, then cached. Vote on what helps your study.
No study brief is cached for this law yet. Sign up to generate a plain-English brief.
Sign up to generate