Purcell & Anor v Cruising Yacht Club of Australia P/L & Ors [2003] NSWSC 245

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Purcell & Anor v Cruising Yacht Club of Australia P/L & Ors [2003] NSWSC 245 HEARING DATE(S) : 21/03/03 25/03/03 JUDGMENT DATE : 8 April 2003

JURISDICTION: Common Law Division Defamation List JUDGMENT OF : Kirby J DECISION : Plaintiffs' application dismissed with costs.

CATCHWORDS : Defamation - defence of contextual truth - form of contextual imputations - capacity - whether differ in substance from plaintiffs' imputation - whether capable of satisfying s16(2)(c) - causing additional harm to plaintiffs' reputation - determining that issue by reference to particulars of truth rather than contextual imputation LEGISLATION CITED : Defamation Act 1974 Purcell & Anor v Cruising Yacht Club of Aust P/L & Ors [2002] NSWSC 557 Sergi v Australian Broadcasting Commission [1983] 2 NSWLR 669 Drummoyne Municipal Council v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1990) 21 NSWLR 135 Whelan v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (1988) 12 NSWLR 148 Singleton v John Fairfax & Sons Limited (unreported, NSWSC, 20.2.80) CASES CITED : Hepburn v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd [1983] 2 NSWLR 682 Jackson v John Fairfax & Sons Limited [1981] 1 NSWLR 36 John Fairfax Publications Pty Limited v Blake (2001) 53 NSWLR 541 Saint v John Fairfax Publications Pty Limited [2002] NSWSC 312 Hepburn v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd (1984) 1 NSWLR 386 Allen v John Fairfax & Sons Limited (unreported, NSWSC, 2.12.88) Richard Gordon Purcell (1 Pl/1 Appl) Allure Marketing Pty Limited (2 Pl/2 Appl) PARTIES : Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Pty Limited (1 Def/1 Resp) Johanne Christian Hugo Van Kretschmar (2 Def/2 Resp) Peter Bush (3 Def/3 Resp) FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 20473/01 COUNSEL : P W Gray (Pls/Appls) T D Blackburn (Defs/Resps) SOLICITORS : Berne, Murray & Tout (Pls/Appls) Corrs Chambers Westgarth (Defs/Resps)