Carolan v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd (No 7) [2017] NSWSC 351

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Carolan v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd (No 7) [2017] NSWSC 351 Hearing dates: 2 September 2016 Decision date: 03 April 2017 Jurisdiction: Common Law Before: McCallum J Decision: Application for permanent injunctions refused Catchwords: DEFAMATION – where plaintiff wholly successful against media defendants in action for damages for defamation – whether permanent injunctions should be granted requiring removal of the defamatory material from websites and archives controlled by the defendants and restraining publication of that material – where defendants took no steps to remove the defamatory material prior to judgment but voluntarily removed it following publication of the court's judgment in favour of the plaintiff – principles to be applied in the exercise of the court's discretion to grant a permanent injunction in defamation cases Legislation Cited: Defamation Act 2005 (NSW), s 23, s 26 Cases Cited: Australian Broadcasting Corporation v O'Neill (2006) 227 CLR 57; [2006] HCA 46 Carolan v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd (No 6) [2016] NSWSC 1091 Higgins v Sinclair [2011] NSWSC 163 Higgins v Sinclair (No 2) [2011] NSWSC 238 Hockey v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd (No 2) (2015) 237 FCR 127; [2015] FCA 750 Law Society v Kordowski [2011] EWHC 3185 Phillips v Robab Pty Ltd [2014] NSWSC 1520 Polias v Ryall [2014] NSWSC 1692 Rastogi v Nolan [2010] NSWSC 735 Reid v Dukic [2016] ACTSC 344 Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals New South Wales v Davies [2011] NSWSC 1445 Sierocki v Klerck (No 2) [2015] QSC 92 Texts Cited: ICF Spry, The Principles of Equitable Remedies (8th ed, 2010, Sweet & Maxwell) Category: Consequential orders (other than Costs) Parties: Sean Carolan (plaintiff) Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd (first defendant) Peter FitzSimons (second defendant) Representation: Counsel: K Smark SC with S Chrysanthou (plaintiff) ATS Dawson SC (defendants)