Enders v Erbas & Associates Pty Ltd (No. 2) [2013] NSWDC 44

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Enders v Erbas & Associates Pty Ltd (No. 2) [2013] NSWDC 44 Hearing dates: 22, 23, 24 and 25 October, 22 November, 6, 13 and 18 December 2012, 4 April 2013 (submissions) Decision date: 19 April 2013 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: (1) Judgment for the defendants. (2) Costs reserved, with liberty to apply. (3) Exhibits retained for 28 days. Catchwords: TORT - defamation - employer sends email to 20 office staff about punctuality, sick and holiday leave - whether imputations conveyed - defences of qualified privilege at common law and pursuant to s 30 - defence of triviality (s 33) - judgment for defendants Legislation Cited: Defamation Act 1974 (NSW), ss 7A, 13, 22 and 46ADefamation Act 2005 (NSW), ss 30, 33 and 35 Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), s 135 Occupational Health & Safety Act 2000 (NSW) Cases Cited: Adam v Ward [1917] AC 309 Ahmed v Harbour Radio Pty Ltd [2010] NSWSC 676 Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd v Marsden (1998) 43 NSWLR 158 Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd v Marsden [2002] NSWCA 419 Andrews v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd [1980] 2 NSWLR 225 Association of Quality Child Care Centres (NSW) v Manefield [2012] NSWCA 123 Austin v Mirror Newspapers Ltd (1985) 3 NSWLR 354 Bank of NSW Ltd v Currabubula Holdings Pty Ltd (2001) 51 NSWLR 399 Barach v University of New South Wales [2011] NSWSC 99 Bashford v Information Australia (Newsletters) (2004) 218 CLR 366 Belbin v Lower Murray Urban & Rural Water Corp (Ruling No 3) [2012] VSC 473 Bennette v Cohen [2009] NSWCA 60 Bickel v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd [1981] 2 NSWLR 474 Bracks v Denoon (Supreme Court of New South Wales, Nicholas J, 14 December 2006) Bristow v Adams [2012] NSWCA 166 Bushara v Nobananas [2013] NSWSC 225 Cantwell v Sinclair [2011] NSWSC 1244 Carson v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (1993) 178 CLR 44 Channel Seven Adelaide Pty Ltd v S, DJ [2006] SASC 10 Chappell v Mirror Newspapers Limited (1984) Aust Torts Rep 80-691 Cush v Dillon; Boland v Dillon (2011) 243 CLR 298 Cush v Dillon; Boland v Dillon [2009] NSWDC 21 Daily Examiner Pty Ltd v Mundine; Brown v Mundine [2012] NSWCA 195 David v Abdishou [2012] NSWCA 109 Emmerton v University of Sydney [1969] 1 NSWR 83 Favell v Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd (2005) 79 ALJR 1716 Gorton v Australian Broadcasting Commission (1973) 1 ACTR 6 Griffith v Australian Broadcasting Corp [2010] NSWCA 9 Griffith v John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd [2004] NSWCA 300 Haddon v Forsyth [2011] NSWSC 123 Hewitt v West Australian Newspapers (1976) 17 ACTR 15 Horrocks v Lowe [1975] AC 135; [1974] 1 All ER 662; [1974] 2 WLR 282 Jameel v Wall Street Journal Europe SPRL [2006] UKHL 44 John Fairfax & Sons Ltd v Vilo (2001) 52 NSWLR 373 John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd v Obeid [2005] NSWCA 60 Jones v Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd (1991) 23 NSWLR 364 Jones v Sutton (2004) 61 NSWLR 614 Jones v Sutton (No 2) [2005] NSWCA 203 King & Mergen Holdings Pty Ltd v McKenzie (1991) 24 NSWLR 305 Korean Times v Pak [2011] NSWCA 365 Lang v Willis (1934) 52 CLR 637 Lazarus v Deutsche Lufthansa AG (1985) 1 NSWLR 188 Leech v Green & Gold Energy Pty Ltd [2011] NSWSC 999 LVMH Watch & Jewellery Australia Pty Ltd v Lassanah [2011] NSWCA 370 Manefield v Association of Quality Child Care Centres (NSW) [2010] NSWSC 1420 Marshall v Megna [2013] NSWCA 30 McCarey v Associated Newspapers Ltd (No 2) [1965] 2 QB 86 Miller v Associated Newspapers Ltd [2012] EWHC 3721 (QB) Morgan v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (1990) 20 NSWLR 511 Morgan v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (1991) 23 NSWLR 374 Morosi v Mirror Newspapers Limited [1977] 1 NSWLR 749 Nationwide News Pty Ltd v Hartley [1995] NSWCA 309 O'Malley v O'Callaghan (1992) 1 Alta LR (3d) 88 Obeid v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2006] NSWDC 26 Palace Films v John Fairfax [2012] NSWSC 1136 Papaconstuntinos v Holmes a Court [2009] NSWSC 903 Perkins v Aboriginal Land Council (Supreme Court of NSW, Badgery-Parker J, 15 August 1999) Preston v Harbour Pacific Management Underwriting [2008] NSWCA 216 Quinlan v Rothwell [2002] 1 Qd R 647 Radio 2UE Sydney Pty Ltd v Chesterton (2009) 238 CLR 460 Reynolds v Times Newspapers Ltd [2001] 2 AC 127 Riddick v Thames Board Mills [1977] QB 881 (CA) Roberts v Bass (2002) 212 CLR 1 Rogers v Nationwide News Pty Ltd (2003) 216 CLR 327 Singleton v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (Supreme Court of New South Wales, Hunt J, 20 February 1980) Skalkos v Assaf [2002] NSWCA 14 Stubbs Ltd v Russell [1913] AC 386 Sun Earth Homes Pty Ltd v Australian Broadcasting Corp (1993) 45 FCR 265 Szanto v Melville [2011] VSC 574 Toogood v Spyring (1834) 1 C M & R 181 Toomey v John Fairfax & Sons Limited (1985) 1 NSWLR 291 Trantum v McDowell (2007) NSWCA 138 Various Claimants v News Group Newspapers Ltd [2012] All ER (D) 37 (Mar) Younan v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2012] NSWSC 1528 Texts Cited: Tobin & Sexton, Australian Defamation Law & Practice (LexisNexis) Brown on Defamation: Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, United States, 2nd ed., (Carswell) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Plaintiff: Sylvia Enders First Defendant: Erbas & Associates Pty Ltd Second Defendant: Ken Gurcan Erbas Representation: Plaintiff: Mr C A Evatt / Mr R Rasmussen Defendants: Mr M McHugh SC / Ms G R Rubagotti Plaintiff: Friend & Co Lawyers Defendants: Neville & Hourn Legal File Number(s): 2011/214416 Publication restriction: None