Waterhouse v The Age Company Ltd & Ors [2012] NSWSC 9

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Waterhouse v The Age Company Ltd & Ors [2012] NSWSC 9 Hearing dates: 15.11.11 Decision date: 01 February 2012 Before: Nicholas J Decision: Par 32 Catchwords: DEFAMATION - pleading - plaintiff's application to further amend statement of claim - proceedings to be tried by jury - contextual truth defence - whether plaintiff should be permitted to amend to "plead back" the contextual imputations - whether amendment necessary for determination of the real questions in the proceedings - whether unjust to permit amendment Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 Defamation Act 2005 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 Cases Cited: Aon Risk Services Australia Ltd v Australian National University [2009] HCA 27; (2009) 239 CLR 175 Besser v Kermode [2011] NSWCA 174; (2011) 282 ALR 314 McMahon v John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd [2010] NSWCA 308 Category: Interlocutory applications Parties: Robert (Robbie) Waterhouse - plaintiff The Age Company Ltd - first defendant Andrew Rule - second defendant John Silvester - third defendant Representation: Counsel: R Rasmussen - plaintiff T D Blackburn SC - defendants Solicitors: Stacks/Goudkamp Lawyers - plaintiff Johnson Winter & Slattery - defendants File Number(s): 10/416092

Judgment 1The plaintiff seeks leave to further amend his statement of claim by adopting, or "pleading back", the contextual imputations pleaded by the defendants in support of the defence of contextual truth under s 26 Defamation Act 2005 (the Act). The application was opposed.