Defamation

The judge hearing a trial in defamation cases by former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann against TV broadcasters ABC and Ten has said he expects both Lehrmann and alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins to take the witness stand.

A judge who found that Ben Roberts-Smith committed war crimes has recused himself from deciding whether the Office of the Special Investigator can access evidence in the former SAS corporal's defamation case for its own investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan.

The judge hearing a lawsuit by senator Linda Reynolds against the partner of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins over allegedly defamatory social media posts has urged the parties to resolve the matter outside of court, citing the "psychological strain" and "emotional stress" of litigation.

Fox News CEO Lachlan Murdoch has paid $1.3 million to Crikey publisher Private Media for costs incurred successfully defending his defamation suit.

A judge has rejected a request by lawyers for Seven and the TV network's billionaire chairman, Kerry Stokes, to issue a correction to his published decision ordering the production of over 8,600 emails exchanged with Ben Roberts-Smith’s lawyers in a defamation case.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has succeeded in overturning a defamation judgment requiring her to pay $250,000 in damages to former colleague Brian Burston, with the Full Federal Court finding an allegation of sexual abuse against Burston was substantially true.

Seven Network and owner Kerry Stokes are seeking to challenge a ruling ordering them to produce thousands of emails exchanged with Ben Roberts-Smith's legal team as Nine tallies its costs of successfully defending the former soldier's defamation action.

A court has awarded a plastic surgeon $50,000 after finding he was defamed by a patient who left him a one-star review online.

An in-house lawyer is barred from representing his employer in proceedings against a law firm after a judge found it breached rules in Western Australia that require corporate litigants to be represented by solicitors. 

A PricewaterhouseCoopers partner may launch defamation proceedings against the professional services firm over two press releases which he says falsely linked him to a tax leaks scandal in an attempt to “offer scapegoats” to the public.