Khalil v Nationwide News Pty Limited (No. 2) [2018] NSWDC 126

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Khalil v Nationwide News Pty Limited (No. 2) [2018] NSWDC 126 Hearing dates: 10 May 2018 Date of orders: 17 May 2018 Decision date: 17 May 2018 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: (1) Defendant's application for summary dismissal of the proceedings dismissed. (2) Pursuant to UCPR r 28.2, imputations 3(a), 3(d), 3(b) and 3(e) are reasonably capable of being conveyed. (3) Pursuant to UCPR r 14.28, imputations 3(c) and 3(f) are struck out with leave to replead. (4) Pursuant to UCPR r 28.2, imputations 5(a), 5(b), 5(c), 5(d), 5(e) and 5(f) are reasonably capable of being conveyed. (5) Costs reserved with liberty to apply. Catchwords: TORT – defamation – application for summary dismissal of proceedings – whether first matter complained of capable of giving rise to any imputations defamatory of the plaintiff – second matter complained of archived by the defendant and available only upon search – whether second matter complained of published only to persons "in the plaintiffs' camp" – application for summary judgment dismissed in relation to both publications – rulings on capacity – form of imputations – use of the word "involved" Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), ss 3 and 56 – 62 Defamation Act 2005 (NSW), s 33 Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), s 75 Oaths (Children) Amendment Act 1990 (No. 93) (NSW), s 33 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 14.28, 28.2, 31.1, 31.2 and 31.4 Cases Cited: Accommodation West Pty Ltd v Aikman [2017] WASC 157 Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd v Marsden (1998) 43 NSWLR 158 Astral Land Pty Ltd v Golden Commercial Pty Ltd [2012] WASC 274 Barach v University of New South Wales [2011] NSWSC 431 Bleyer v Google Inc (2014) 88 NSWLR 670 Bik v Mirror Newspapers Ltd [1979] 2 NSWLR 679 Bristow v Adams [2012] NSWCA 166 Budu v British Broadcasting Corporation [2010] EWHC 616 (QB) Corby v Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd [2014] NSWCA 227 Cush v Dillon; Boland v Dillon (2011) 243 CLR 298 Cush v Dillon; Boland v Dillon [2010] NSWCA 165 Desfosses v Martinson [2018] WASC 114 Dow Jones & Co Inc v Jameel [2005] EWCA Civ 75 Drummoyne Municipal Council v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1990) 21 NSWLR 135 Enders v Erbas Pty Ltd [2014] NSWCA 40 Farrow v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2017] NSWCA 246 Gant v The Age Co Ltd [2011] VSC 169 General Steel Industries Inc v Commissioner for Railways (NSW) (1964) 112 CLR 125 Ghosh v MSN Nine Pty Ltd (2015) 90 NSWLR 595 Goodfellow v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited [2017] FCA 1152 Google Inc v Duffy [2017] SASFC 130 Habib v Radio 2UE Pty Ltd [2009] NSWCA 347 Hayson v John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd [2007] NSWSC 763 Hepburn v TCN Channel Nine [1984] 1 NSWLR 386 Hockey v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd [2015] FCA 652 Hibbert v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2015] NSWCA 13 Jones v Sutton (2004) 51 NSWLR 614; [2005] NSWCA 205 Khalil v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd [2017] NSWDC 346 King & Mergen Holdings Pty Ltd v McKenzie (1991) 24 NSWLR 305 Kingsfield Holdings Pty Ltd v Rutherford [2016] WASC 117 Lim v TVW Enterprises Pty Ltd [2002] WASC 214 Ma Ching Kwan v John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd [1998] NSWSC 321 Manefield v Child Care NSW [2010] NSWSC 1420 McCarey v Associated Newspapers Ltd (No 2) [1965] 2 QB 86 McDonald v Dods [2017] VSCA 129 Moran v Schwartz Publishing Pty Ltd (No 6) [2016] WASC 168 Pickering v Publishing & Broadcasting Pty Ltd (Supreme Court of NSW, Levine J, 21 June 1996) Shea v News Ltd (No 2) [2016] WASC 146 Skalkos v Assaf [2002] HCATrans 649 Skalkos v Assaf [2002] NSWCA 14 Tajjour v New South Wales (2014) 313 ALR 221 Toben v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2016] NSWCA 296 Trantum v McDowell [2007] NSWCA 138 Voller v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd [2018] NSWSC 608 Wagner v Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd [2017] QCA 261 Watney v Kencian [2017] QCA 116 Zarth v Williamson [2006] NSWCA 246 Texts Cited: P. Taylor, Dr E. Elms, M. Meek SC, The Hon Justice G. Bellew, Ritchie's Uniform Civil Procedure NSW (LexisNexis, Australia) Category: Procedural and other rulings Parties: First Plaintiff: Khalil Khalil Second Plaintiff: Hassan Soueid Defendant: Nationwide News Pty Limited Representation: Counsel: Plaintiffs: Mr R Rasmussen Defendant: Mr M Lewis