Chow v Un [2017] NSWDC 254

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Chow v Un [2017] NSWDC 254 Hearing dates: 15 – 19 May 2017; 7 June 2017 Date of orders: 15 September 2017 Decision date: 15 September 2017 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: (1) Judgment for the first plaintiff for $95,000. (2) Judgment for the second plaintiff for $65,000. (3) Costs reserved, with liberty to apply concerning interest and costs. (4) Exhibits retained for 28 days. Catchwords: TORT – defamation – extent of publication - pamphlet distributed in the foyer of a building where a Chinese community association meeting was to be held – whether pamphlet distributed indiscriminately to passers-by or only to community association members – whether imputations conveyed – whether imputations defamatory – defences of common law qualified privilege and statutory qualified privilege pursuant to s 30 Defamation Act 2005 (NSW) – damages – aggravated damages – mitigation of damages Legislation Cited: Defamation Act 2005 (NSW), ss 30, 34 and 35 Cases Cited: Ainsworth v Burden [2005] NSWCA 174 Aktas v Westpac Banking Corp Ltd [2009] NSWCA 9 Al Muderis v Duncan (No 3) [2017] NSWSC 726 Aldridge v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd [1984] 2 NSWLR 544 Archer v Channel Seven Perth Pty Ltd [2002] WASC 160 Bashford v Information Australia (Newsletters) Pty Ltd (2004) 218 CLR 366 Bennette v Cohen [2009] NSWCA 60 Bristow v Adams [2012] NSWCA 166 Chase v News Group Newspapers Ltd [2002] EWCA Civ 1772; [2003] EMLR 11 Coles Myer Ltd v Webster; Coles Myer Ltd v Thompson [2009] NSWCA 299 Cooper v Hobbs [2013] NSWCA 70 Cush v Dillon; Boland v Dillon (2011) 243 CLR 298 Dunsec Pty Ltd v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2000] NSWCA 155 Enders v Erbas & Associates Pty Limited [2014] NSWCA 70 Evatt v Nationwide News Pty Ltd t/as Cumberland Newspapers [1999] NSWCA 99 Gross v Weston (2007) 69 NSWLR 279 Guise v Kouvelis (1947) 74 CLR 102 Hockey v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd (2015) 332 ALR 257 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298 Lindholdt v Hyer [2008] NSWCA 264 Mallik v McGeown [2008] NSWCA 230 Marshall v Megna; Megna v Tory; Tory v Megna [2013] NSWCA 30 Marshall v Smith [2013] WASC 452 Maxwell-Smith v Warren [2007] NSWCA 270 McGlen-McLeod v Galloway [2012] NSWCA 368 Milne v Ell [2014] NSWCA 407 Moran v Schwartz Publishing Pty Ltd (No 3) [2015] WASC 215 Otten v Schutt 15 Wis.2d 497, 113 N.W.2d 152 (1962) Prince v Malouf [2014] NSWCA 12 Radio 2UE Sydney Pty Ltd v Chesterton (2009) 238 CLR 460 Ratcliffe v Evans [1892] 2 QB 524 Rigby v John Fairfax Group Pty Ltd (New South Wales Court of Appeal, Kirby P, Priestley and Meagher JJA, 1 February 1996) Roberts v Bass (2002) 212 CLR 1 Sharma v Shandil [2011] NSWCA 155 Singleton v Ffrench (1986) 5 NSWLR 425 Skalkos v Assaf [2002] NSWCA 14 Sonier v Breau (1912) 41 N.B.R 177 Thornton v Telegraph Media Group Ltd [2011] EWHC 1884 (QB) Watson v Foxman (1995) 49 NSWLR 315 Zarth v Williamson [2006] NSWCA 246 Zoef v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2016] NSWCA 283 Texts Cited: New South Wales, Government Gazette, No 56, 26 May 2017, 1782 Professor R. E. Brown, Brown on Defamation (Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, United States), Second Edition (formerly The Law of Defamation in Canada) (Carswell) R Parkes QC; Professor A Mullis; G Busuttil; A Speker; A Scott; C Strong, Gatley on Libel and Slander (12th ed, 2013, Sweet & Maxwell) Category: Principal judgment Parties: First Plaintiff: Sum Chow Second Plaintiff: Colin Chiu Kwan Chau Defendant: Chi Keong Un Representation: Counsel: Plaintiffs: Mr R Rasmussen Defendant: Mr M Karam / Mr H Grace