Toben v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2016] NSWCA 296

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Toben v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2016] NSWCA 296 Hearing dates: 15 July 2016 Decision date: 04 November 2016 Before: Meagher JA at [1]; Ward JA at [2]; Payne JA at [145] Decision: 1. Grant leave to appeal. 2. Dismiss appeal with costs. Catchwords: APPEAL – application for leave to appeal from order permanently staying defamation proceedings as an abuse of process – where applicant seeks to sue on imputations including that he is a Holocaust denier and an anti-Semite – where applicant is restrained by Federal Court orders from publishing material that suggests that there is serious doubt that the Holocaust occurred – improper purpose – finding that applicant's purpose in bringing proceedings was not to vindicate his reputation but to express his views as to the Holocaust – whether this finding sufficient to sustain conclusion that proceedings were an abuse of process – whether primary judge failed to give adequate reasons for finding of improper purpose – whether primary judge erroneously made findings as to the truth of imputations

APPEAL – whether denial of procedural fairness as a result of alleged failure to put truth or falsity of pleaded imputations to applicant – whether breach of rule in Browne v Dunn where applicant on notice of what respondents contended was his real purpose in bringing the proceedings Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), Pt 6, ss 56, 60, 67 Defamation Act 2005 (NSW), s 33 Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth), s 18C Supreme Court Act 1970, s 101(2)(r) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 13.4(1)(c), 14.28(1)(c) Cases Cited: Allied Pastoral Holdings Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation (Cth) [1983] 1 NSWLR 1 Batistatos v Roads and Traffic Authority (NSW) (2006) 226 CLR 256; [2006] HCA 27 Bleyer v Google Inc (2014) 88 NSWLR 670; [2014] NSWSC 897 Browne v Dunn (1894) 6 R 67 Carson v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (1993) 178 CLR 44; [1993] HCA 31 Crawford Adjusters (Cayman) Ltd v Sagicor General Insurance (Cayman) Ltd [2013] UKPC 17 Dank v Whittaker (No 4) [2014] NSWSC 732 Ghosh v NineMSN Pty Ltd (2015) 90 NSWLR 595; [2015] NSWCA 334 Goldsmith v Sperrings Ltd [1977] 1 WLR 478 Grizonic v Suttor [2008] NSWSC 914 Habib v Nationwide News Pty Ltd (2010) 78 NSWLR 619; [2010] NSWSC 924 Habib v Radio 2UE Sydney Pty Ltd [2009] NSWCA 231 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499; [1936] HCA 40 Jeffery and Katauskas Pty Ltd v SST Consulting Pty Ltd (2009) 239 CLR 75; [2009] HCA 43 Jones v Toben [2002] FCA 1150 Jones v Toben (2009) 255 ALR 238; [2009] FCA 354 Land Securities Ltd v Fladgate Fielder [2009] EWCA Civ 1402 Meskanas v Capon (District Court (NSW), Christie DCJ, 28 September 1993, unrep) O'Shane v Harbour Radio Pty Ltd (2013) 85 NSWLR 698; [2013] NSWCA 315 Packer v Meagher [1984] 3 NSWLR 486 PNJ v The Queen (2009) 193 A Crim R 54; [2009] HCA 6 R v Editor of the Daily Mail; Ex parte Factor (1928) 44 TLR 303 Sea Culture International Pty Ltd v Scoles (1991) 32 FCR 275 Seymour v Australian Broadcasting Commission (1977) 19 NSWLR 219 Toben v Jones [2009] FCAFC 104 Toben v Jones (2012) 298 ALR 203; [2012] FCA 1193 Toben v Mathieson; Toben v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2013] NSWSC 1530 Toben v Milne [2014] NSWCA 49 Toben v Milne [2014] NSWCA 200 Toben v Nationwide News Pty Ltd; Toben v Mathieson [2015] NSWSC 1784 Uren v John Fairfax & Sons Pty Ltd (1966) 117 CLR 118; [1966] HCA 40 Varawa v Howard Smith Co Ltd (1911) 13 CLR 35; [1911] HCA 46 Walton v Gardiner (1993) 177 CLR 378; [1993] HCA 77 Williams v Spautz (1992) 174 CLR 509; [1992] HCA 34 Texts Cited: JD Heydon, Cross on Evidence (10th ed, 2015, LexisNexis) JG Fleming, The Law of Torts (9th ed, 1998, LBC Information Services) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Fredrick Toben (Appellant) Nationwide News Pty Ltd (First Respondent) Clive Mathieson (Second Respondent) Christian Kerr (Third Respondent) Senator Christine Milne (Fourth Respondent) Representation: Counsel: