Ashworth aka Otto v Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 008 685 407); Otto (aka Ashworth) v Gold Coast Publications Pty Limited; Otto v Dailymail.com Australia Pty Ltd (No. 2) [2019] NSWDC 188

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Ashworth aka Otto v Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 008 685 407); Otto (aka Ashworth) v Gold Coast Publications Pty Limited; Otto v Dailymail.com Australia Pty Ltd (No. 2) [2019] NSWDC 188 Hearing dates: 25, 26, 27 and 28 February 2019; 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21 and 26 March 2019 Date of orders: 16 May 2019 Decision date: 16 May 2019 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: (1) Judgment for the defendant in proceedings 2016/221796. (2) Judgment for the defendants in proceedings 2016/338258. (3) Judgment for the defendant in proceedings 2016/338264. (4) Plaintiff to pay the defendants' costs. (5) Liberty to apply in relation to costs. (6) Exhibits retained for 28 days. Catchwords: TORT – defamation – plaintiff brings claims for defamation for a broadcast and three online newspaper publications imputing he is famous for sleazy scams and shonky businesses, inter alia, that he engaged in dishonest business activities to trick young women into group sex – defences of justification and contextual justification – judgment for the defendants Legislation Cited: Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth), s 60 Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), ss 56-62 Defamation Act 1974 (NSW), s 7A Defamation Act 2005 (NSW), ss 23, 25, 26, 35 and 38 Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), s 140 Cases Cited: Ajinomoto Sweeteners Europe SAS v Asda Stores Ltd [2010] All ER (D) 03 (Jun) Arsic v Goodrich Aerospace Pty Limited [2007] HCATrans 68 Ashworth aka Otto v Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 008 685 407); Otto (aka Ashworth) v Gold Coast Publications Pty Limited; Otto v Dailymail.com Australia Pty Ltd [2018] NSWDC 13 Bass v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd [2006] NSWCA 343 Besser v Kermode [2011] NSWCA 174 Browne v Dunn (1893) 6 R 67 Bryce v Rusden (1886) 2 TLR 435 Burstein v Times Newspapers Ltd [2001] 1 WLR 579 Chase v News Group Newspapers Ltd [2002] EWCA Civ 1772; [2003] EMLR 11 Chel v Fairfax Media Publications (No 6) [2017] NSWSC 230 Cohen v Daily Telegraph Ltd [1968] 1 WLR 916 Drummoyne Municipal Council v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1990) 21 NSWLR 135 Edwards v R (1993) 178 CLR 193 Fairfax Digital Australia & New Zealand Pty Ltd v Kazal [2018] NSWCA 77 Fairfax Media Publications v Zeccola [2015] NSWCA 329 Fleming v Advertiser News-Weekend Publishing Company Pty Ltd [2016] SASCFC 109 Gayle v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd (No 2); Gayle v The Age Company Pty Ltd (No 2); Gayle v The Federal Capital Press of Australia Pty Ltd (No 2) [2018] NSWSC 1838 Goodrich Aerospace Pty Limited v Arsic [2006] NSWCA 187; 66 NSWLR 186 Harbour Radio Pty Ltd v Trad [2012] HCA 44 Hepburn v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd [1983] 2 NSWLR 682 Herald & Weekly Times Pty Ltd v Popovic (2003) 9 VR 1 Holt v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd (2014) 86 NSWLR 96 Jeynes v News Magazines Ltd [2008] EWCA Civ 130 John Fairfax Publications Pty Limited v Blake (2001) 53 NSWLR 541 John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd v Rivkin (2003) 201 ALR 77 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298 Li v The Herald & Weekly Times Pty Ltd [2007] VSC 109 Maisel v Financial Times Ltd [1915] 3 KB 336 Mallegowda v Sood [2019] NSWCA 37 Marsden v Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd [2000] NSWSC 520 Mizikovsky v Queensland Television Limited (No 3) [2011] QSC 375 Mizikovsky v Queensland Television Limited [2013] QCA 68 Mohammed v Nationwide News Pty Ltd (No 2) [2016] NSWSC 1365 Monir v Wood [2018] EWHC 3525 (QB) Monroe v Hopkins [2017] EWHC 433 (QB) Morgan v Odhams Press Ltd [1971] 1 WLR 1239 Mosslmani by his tutor Karout v DailyMail.com Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 166 912 465); Mosslmani by his tutor Karout v Nationwide News Pty Ltd (ACN 008 438 828); Mosslmani by his tutor Karout v Australian Radio Network Pty Ltd (ACN 065 986 987) (No. 2) [2016] NSWDC 357 Nanji v National Geographic Society 403 F Supp 2d 425 (D. Md., 2005) National Australia Bank Ltd v Rusu (1999) 47 NSWLR 309 Otto (a.k.a. Ashworth) v Gold Coast Publications Pty Ltd [2017] NSWDC 101 Otto v Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd [2016] NSWDC 308 PW v MS (No 3) [2014] WASC 202 R v Cooke [2004] NSWCCA 52 Radio 2UE Sydney Pty Ltd v Chesterton (2009) 238 CLR 460 Reid v Brett [2005] VSC 18 Russin v Wesson, 183 Vt 301, 949 A. 2d 1019 (2008) Singleton v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (Supreme Court of New South Wales, Hunt J, 20 February 1980) Smith v New South Wales Bar Association (1992) 176 CLR 256 Stocker v Stocker [2019] UKSC 17 Thornton v Telegraph Media Group Ltd [2011] EWHC 1884 (QB) Toben v Nationwide News Pty Ltd; Toben v Mathieson [2015] NSWSC 1784 Toomey v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (1985) 1 NSWLR 291 Webb v Bloch (1928) 41 CLR 331 Wen Yue He v Chinese Newspapers Pty Ltd [2005] NSWSC 253 Wilson v Bauer Media Pty Ltd [2017] VSC 521 Wing v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2018] FCA 1340 Wootten v Sievier [1912] 3 KB 499 Texts Cited: Professor R. E. Brown, Brown on Defamation (Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, United States) (2nd ed., Thomson Reuters) Professor D. Rolph, "Reputation, Celebrity and Defamation Law" (1st ed., Sydney, 2008) The Honourable Justice Dowsett, "Prejudice: the Judicial Virus", 7 February 2009 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Plaintiff in proceedings 2016/221796: David Ashworth aka David Otto Defendant in proceedings 2016/221796: Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 008 685 407)