Brien v Mrad [2019] NSWDC 764

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Brien v Mrad [2019] NSWDC 764 Hearing dates: 9, 10 and 16 September 2019 Date of orders: 19 December 2019 Decision date: 19 December 2019 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: (1) Judgment for the defendant. (2) Costs reserved, with liberty to apply. (3) Exhibits retained until further order. Catchwords: TORT – defamation – slander – whether the words of the matter complained of were spoken by the defendant in the course of the annual general meeting of the North Shore Karting Club – defendant denies publication – whether words published of and concerning the plaintiff – whether the words established to be spoken materially alter or qualify the sense of those set out in the particulars of claim – material difference between words pleaded and words proved – judgment for the defendant Legislation Cited: Defamation Act 2005 (NSW), ss 34, 35 and 36 Cases Cited: Al Muderis v Duncan (No 3) [2017] NSWSC 726 Allied Pastoral Holdings Pty Ltd v Federal Commissioner of Taxation [1983] 1 NSWLR 1 Armstrong v McIntosh (No 2) [2019] WASC 379 Beattie v Ball (1999) 3 VR 1 Bowden v KSMC Holdings Pty Ltd t/as Hubba Bubba Childcare on Haig & Chapman [2019] NSWDC 98 Browne v Dunn (1893) 6 R 67 Cerutti v Crestside Pty Ltd [2016] 1 Qd R 89 Chakravarti v Advertiser Newspapers Ltd (1998) 193 CLR 519 Coles Supermarkets Australia Ltd v Clarke [2013] NSWCA 272 Cush v Dillon; Boland v Dillon [2009] NSWDC 21 Cush v Dillon; Boland v Dillon (2011) 234 CLR 298 Davis v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2008] NSWSC 693 Drummoyne Municipal Council v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1990) 21 NSWLR 135 Feo v Pioneer Concrete (Vic) Pty Ltd [1999] VSCA 180 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 Hanson‑Young v Leyonhjelm (No 4) [2019] FCA 1981 John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd v Hitchcock (2007) 70 NSWLR 484 Lewis v Daily Telegraph Ltd [1964] AC 234 McGlen-McLeod v Galloway [2012] NSWCA 368 Poricanin v Australian Consolidated Industries Ltd [1979] 2 NSWLR 419 Precision Plastics Pty Ltd v Demir [1975] HCA 27; 132 CLR 362 Random House Australia Pty Ltd v Abbott (1999) 94 FCR 296 Robinson v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2004] QCA 319 Rush v Nationwide News Pty Ltd (No 7) [2019] FCA 496 Thornton v Telegraph Media Group Ltd [2011] EWHC 1884 (QB) Tournier v National Provincial and Union Bank of England [1924] 1 KB 461 Umeyor v Ibe [2016] EWHC 862 (QB) Watson v Foxman (1995) 49 NSWLR 315 Wilson v Basson [2019] NSWSC 1449 Wilson v Bauer Media Pty Ltd [2017] VSC 521 Texts Cited: Gatley on Libel and Slander (12th ed., Sweet & Maxwell) Cross on Evidence (11th ed., LexisNexis) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Plaintiff: Martin Brien Defendant: Hussein Mrad (aka Sam Mrad) Representation: Counsel: Plaintiff: Mr T Senior Defendant: Mr N Olson