Noble v Phillips (No 3) [2019] NSWSC 110

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Noble v Phillips (No 3) [2019] NSWSC 110 Hearing dates: 27 April 2018 Decision date: 25 February 2019 Jurisdiction: Common Law Before: McCallum J Decision: Parties directed to bring in short minutes to reflect these reasons Catchwords: DEFAMATION – defamatory meaning – whether matters complained of capable of defaming the plaintiff – publication – liability of source as primary publisher of newspaper article – consideration of principles stated in Webb v Bloch – rulings as to capacity and form of imputations Legislation Cited: Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), r 14.28 Cases Cited: Bolten v Stoltenberg [2016] NSWSC 596 Burrows v Knightley (1987) 10 NSWLR 651 Corby v Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd [2014] NSWCA 227 Dank v Cronulla Sutherland District Rugby League Football Club Ltd [2014] NSWCA 288 Dank v Cronulla-Sutherland District Rugby League Football Club [2013] NSWSC 1101 Dank v Cronulla-Sutherland District Rugby League Football Club (No 3) [2013] NSWSC 1850 Dank v Whittaker (No 1) [2013] NSWSC 1062 Favell v Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd [2005] HCA 52; (2005) 79 ALJR 1716 General Steel v Commissioner for Railways (1964) 112 CLR 125; [1964] HCA 69 Jones v Skelton [1963] 1 WLR 1362 Noble v Phillips (No 2) [2018] NSWSC 25 Phelps v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2001] NSWSC 130 Speight v Gosnay [1891] 60 LJQR 231 Thiess v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd (No 5) [1994] 1 QdR 156 Webb v Bloch [1928] 41 CLR 331; HCA 50 (1928) Zeccola v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd (No 3) [2015] NSWSC 1007 Category: Procedural and other rulings Parties: Peter Bruce Noble (plaintiff) Stephen Snowden Phillips (first defendant) Biolink Pty Ltd (second defendant) Michael Slezak (third defendant) GNM Australia Pty Ltd (fourth defendant) Representation: Counsel: T Tobin QC, B Connell (plaintiff) M Richardson (first defendant) R Potter (3rd and 4th defendants)