NSW Caselaw
New South Wales Supreme Court
CITATION : PAPACONSTUNTINOS v HOLMES À COURT [2009] NSWSC 903 This decision has been amended. Please see the end of the judgment for a list of the amendments.
HEARING DATE(S) : 17, 18, 19 , 20 February 2009; 2 & 3 April 2009
JUDGMENT DATE : 4 September 2009
JURISDICTION : Common Law
JUDGMENT OF : McCallum J
DECISION : (1) Verdict and judgment for the plaintiff in the sum of $25,000. (2) The defendant is to pay the plaintiff's costs of the proceedings.
CATCHWORDS : DEFAMATION – letter sent to plaintiff's employer – extent of publication - grapevine effect - whether imputations that plaintiff was reasonably suspected by defendant of certain conduct conveyed - if so, whether defamatory - DEFAMATION – defences – common law defence of qualified privilege – whether defendant had interest in conveying subject matter to plaintiff's employer – whether information volunteered or requested – no occasion of qualified privilege - DEFAMATION – defences – common law defence of qualified privilege – malice – whether publication actuated by improper motive – honest belief – whether dominant purpose to discredit plaintiff - DEFAMATION – defences – unlikelihood of harm – triviality not established - DEFAMATION - damages - lower end of range
LEGISLATION CITED : Defamation Act 2005
CATEGORY : Principal judgment
Aktas v Westpac Banking Corporation Limited [2009] NSWCA 9 Aspro Travel v Owners Abroad Group [1996] 1 WLR 132 Bashford v Information Australia (Newsletters) Pty Ltd [2004] HCA 5; (2004) 218 CLR 366 Bennette v Cohen [2009] NSWCA 60 Goyan v Motyka [2008] NSWCA 28 Horrocks v Lowe [1975] AC 135 CASES CITED : King and Mergen Holdings v McKenzie (1991) 24 NSWLR 205 Lindholdt v Hyer [2008] NSWCA 264 McCormick v John Fairfax & Sons (1989) 16 NSWLR 485 Mirror Newspapers Ltd v Harrison [1982] HCA 50; (1982) 149 CLR 293 Morosi v Mirror Newspapers Ltd [1977] 2 NSWLR 749 Palmer Bruyn & Parker v Parsons [2001] HCA 68; (2001) 208 CLR 388 Toogood v Spyring (1834) 1 Cr M & R 181; (1834) 149 ER 1044
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