Hodge v TCN Channel Nine & Anor No 2 - Interest and Costs [2006] NSWSC 1272

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Hodge v TCN Channel Nine & Anor No 2 - Interest and Costs [2006] NSWSC 1272

HEARING DATE(S) : 16 November 2006

JUDGMENT DATE : 28 November 2006

JUDGMENT OF : Smart AJ at 1

DECISION : See paras 80-81

CATCHWORDS : Rates of Interest for non-economic loss in defamation cases where vindication required and most of damage to hurt feelings etc occurred about time of publication - overall interest rates fixed rather than splitting up interest calculations - Costs - Requirements of offer of compromise and construction of offer - plaintiff succeeds on two out of three imputations - third imputation justified on particular basis - defendants succeeding on some issues - Overall costs order made rather than orders for a series of orders leading to expensive costs assessment - impermissible conditions attached to "Calderbank" offer and so disregarded.

Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 LEGISLATION CITED : Supreme Court Rules Supreme Court Act 1970 UCP Act & Rules

Assaf v Skalkoss unrep NSW 5/10/03 Australian Consolidated Press v Driscoll (1988) Aust Torts Reports 80-175 p67,645 Calderbank v Calderbank 1976 Fam 93 Carson v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd unrep NSWSC 6/5/94 Erskine v John Fairfax Group Pty Ltd unrep NSWSC 6/5/98 Hughes v Western Australia Cricket Association & Ors 1986 ATPR 40-748 CASES CITED : John Fairfax & Sons Ltd v Kelly (1987) 8 NSWLR 131 McMullen v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd unrep NSWSC 938 MPB(SA) Limited v Gogic (1991) 171 CLR 657 Obeid v John Fairfax Publications unrep 2006 NSWSC 1059 Perkins v NSW Aboriginal Land Council unrep 15/8/97 Thompson v Australian Capital Television Pty Ltd & Ors unrep ATSC 4 1998 Vilo v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd unrep NSWSC 1206 15/12/00