This Month
Judge lashes ABC’s PR strategies
It’s all fun and games to fire off at gadfly commentators. Doing so at judges, even if only by implication, is an altogether dicier proposition.
- Myriam Robin
- Opinion
- Social media
How Elon Musk could beat his latest defamation lawsuit
The billionaire is no stranger to the courts when it comes to comments he’s made on social media.
- Stephen Carter
September
Cleared of rape, a university student sues for defamation
A woman’s allegation led to the expulsion from Yale of Saifullah Khan, who is seeking $170 million through a lawsuit that could end her anonymity.
- Vimal Patel
August
Brittany Higgins sued by former minister over social media posts
The writ in the WA Supreme Court is the latest manoeuvre in a bitter fallout between Brittany Higgins and her former employer Senator Linda Reynolds.
- Ronald Mizen
July
ABC accused of ‘abuse of power’ in ex-commando’s defamation trial
Former Australian Army commando Heston Russell is suing the ABC for suggesting he was involved in the killing of an Afghan prisoner in 2012.
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
Defamation runs in the Roberts-Smith family
In 2013, Ben’s mother Sue Roberts-Smith launched defamation action against a colleague at Perth’s Swan Valley Anglican Community School.
- Joe Aston
Ben Roberts-Smith appeals major defamation loss
The Victoria Cross winner has lodged a notice of appeal after Justice Anthony Besanko found Roberts-Smith broke the rules of war and disgraced his country.
- Max Mason
High profile #MeToo client rides to the defence of embattled top silk
As defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou faces a reprimand from the NSW Bar Council, a former client and lawyer has rushed to her defence.
- Samantha Hutchinson
Bar Council spruiks top silk, as it ponders reprimanding her
The NSW Legal Services Commission is weighing up a recommendation to reprimand barrister Sue Chrysanthou after she represented former attorney-general Christian Porter.
- Samantha Hutchinson
June
Papers chase Roberts-Smith for $10m
The conduct of war hero Ben-Roberts Smith during the defamation “trial of the century” could prove costly.
- Michael Pelly
- Analysis
- Roberts-Smith case
Judge condemns cowardice in the courtroom
The full judgment in the Ben Roberts-Smith case is a damning indictment of the war hero.
- Michael Pelly
Judge rules Ben Roberts-Smith ‘not an honest and reliable witness’
While polite in the box giving evidence, Australia’s most decorated soldier was ultimately a liar, a Federal Court judge ruled.
- Max Mason
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Holding heroes to account bolsters our democracy
Dogged journalists and courageous soldier-witnesses made sure that even a Victoria Cross could not stop the truth of a flawed hero coming out.
- The AFR View
May
Drumgold ‘shocked’ police gave Higgins documents to defence
The ACT Director of Public Prosecutions said he had never seen the Australian Federal Police serving an unredacted brief of evidence before a plea.
- Alex Mitchell and Maeve Bannister
- Exclusive
- Cryptocurrencies
Crypto defamation suit backfires on ‘influencer’
A cryptocurrency investor who sued a Perth woman for posting a negative review of his trading business on the website Trustpilot has been ordered to pay more than $30,000.
- Jessica Sier
April
Judge allows Bruce Lehrmann to sue Ten, News Corp for defamation
Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation action against two media companies can proceed, a judge has ruled.
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
10 opinion pieces for the weekend
From who is on the block for the Fox News disaster to how Star Entertainment went from bad to worse. Here are 10 thoughtful opinion pieces from the past week.
Fox diehards none the wiser but Murdoch’s strategy may no longer pay
With such high costs following the $1.2 billion defamation settlement, will Fox really repeat its strategy when confronted with falling ratings?
- Matthew Cranston
- Opinion
- Trump's America
Fox settlement no reckoning for Murdoch
The $1.2 billion settlement was among the highest for a US defamation lawsuit. But some think the media magnate should have faced a stiffer penalty.
- Michael Grynbaum
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Aussie fund gets a piece of Dominion Voting spoils
Dominion Voting Systems versus the Murdochs’ Fox News has been thrilling viewing – even if we never got to the main act.
- Anthony Macdonald
