Fairfax Media has issued an apology and settled a lawsuit by former Toll Group chairman Ray Horsburgh over an Australian Financial Review article that allegedly defamed him by claiming he made a racist remark at a board meeting.
Three media companies have been granted special leave by the High Court to challenge a finding that they could be held liable for allegedly defamatory remarks left under news articles they posted on Facebook.
Being called a fraud is not as bad as being labelled a “terrible investor”, venture capitalist Dr Elaine Stead has said during trial in her high-profile defamation case against the Nine-owned Fairfax over two articles about her involvement in the failed investment company Blue Sky.
The CEO of fintech company iSignthis turned down an offer by the Australian Financial Review to pay $30,000 and retract portions of an article he claimed falsely linked him to a money laundering scheme, but his defamation case against publisher Fairfax might not proceed to trial if the judge overseeing the case can help it.
Former Toll Group chairman Ray Horsburgh has filed a defamation suit over an Australian Financial Review article that claimed he made a racist remark at a board meeting, and the case alleges emails a journalist sent seeking comment from the businessman were also defamatory.
Venture capitalist Elaine Stead wants Australian Financial Review columnist Joe Aston to hand over documents connected to confidential sources, and says Aston can’t rely on a journalist’s privilege protecting the identity of informants.
Australian Financial Review columnist Joe Aston sent “very nasty” text messages about venture capitalist Elaine Stead, and any in-person mediation ahead of Stead’s defamation trial is unlikely to be worthwhile given the animosity between the pair, a court has been told.
John Karantzis, the CEO of fintech company iSignthis, has launched defamation proceedings against Fairfax, targeting an Australian Financial Review article over the 900 per cent share price jump in Etherstack, a wireless radio tech company in which Karantzis owns shares.
The High Court has rejected an appeal challenging a ruling that found a failed political candidate liable for defamatory responses made by readers of two Facebook posts he published that labelled a South Australian businessman greedy and selfish, but the court has left the door open to weigh in on the issue of secondary publication of social media comments.
Media companies that are fighting defamation proceedings over articles that accused decorated war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith of war crimes have won court permission to amend their defence to include evidence the soldier was involved in another alleged murder.