20019/06 Brett May v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd & Ors
JUDGMENT
1 His Honour: The plaintiff claims damages in defamation for the publication throughout Australia of matter in the television programme known as "A Current Affair" (the programme) on 2 December 2005. Following a trial under s 7A Defamation Act 1974 (the Act) the jury found the programme conveyed a number of imputations defamatory of the plaintiff. The defendants have filed separate defences in which defences of truth and comment are pleaded. A reply is pleaded to all defences in which are raised a number of issues in defeasance of the comment defences.
2 By their notice of motion filed 21 June 2007 the defendants seek an order under Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 r 14.28(1) that the reply be struck out as embarrassing.
Background
3 The programme was broadcast over television station TCN Channel Nine about 6.30pm on 2 December 2005, and over the Sky News Australia channel at about 10.30pm the same day. The plaintiff claims against the first, second and third defendants for the publication of the entirety of the programme, and against the fourth defendant for the publication of the words attributed to him in it. At the s 7A trial the jury found against the first, second and third defendants that the programme conveyed the following defamatory imputations:
"(a) he had behaved unreasonably as a highway patrol officer by charging firemen for speeding on the way to an emergency;
(b) he had contributed to the unpopularity of highway patrol officers by charging fireman for speeding or parking infringements while those firemen were just trying to do their duty;
(c) he was a man with a terrible reputation;
(d) he was a man with a terrible reputation with his work colleagues;
(e) because of a private dispute he had with his neighbour, the plaintiff threatened to charge his neighbour with an offence, which was an abuse of his position as a police officer;
(f) as a police officer, he had charged unreasonably many people in his neighbourhood;
(h) as a highway patrol officer, he acted unreasonably by charging a fireman, Ted Burrow, for a parking infringement while Mr Burrow was fighting a fire;
(k) as a highway patrol officer, he had behaved outrageously by charging a fireman when he knew the fireman was not travelling much over the speed limit and was on his way to a major fire;
(l) he was a hypocrite because he was prepared to charge a fireman on the way to fight a fire, but would not have done so if the fire involved his own house, or his own family;
(n) he abused his position as a highway patrol officer, in that because of a private dispute he had with his neighbour, he pulled his neighbour over and told him to get his dog on a leash;
(o) he was an incompetent highway patrol officer, because he lacked common sense."
4 The jury found separately against the fourth defendant that the words attributed to him in the programme conveyed the following defamatory imputations:
"(c) he was a man with a terrible reputation;
(d) he was a man with a terrible reputation with his work colleagues;
(e) because of a private dispute he had with his neighbour, the plaintiff threatened to charge his neighbour with an offence, which was an abuse of his position as a police officer;
(f) as a police officer, he had charged unreasonably many people in his neighbourhood;
(n) he abused his position as a highway patrol officer, in that because of a private dispute he had with his neighbour, he pulled his neighbour over and told him to get his dog on a leash;"
5 On 30 March 2007 separate defences on behalf of each of the first, second and third defendants were filed. These defendants have pleaded defences of comment under the Act in respect of publication in New South Wales. In addition, they have pleaded separately in respect of publication in Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory defences of statutory fair comment under the applicable legislation. They have also pleaded a defence of common law fair comment in respect of publication in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.
6 On 30 March 2007 the fourth defendant also filed a defence. It includes the defence of comment under s 32 of the Act in respect of publication in New South Wales. In respect of publication in the other states and territories it includes the same defences of statutory fair comment and common law fair comment as pleaded in the other defences.
The NSW comment defences
7 The first and second defendants have each pleaded comment defences which, relevantly, are in the following terms:
"(d) that comment was the comment of the first defendant and/or the first defendant's servant or agent, Mr Ben Fordham, and/or alternatively:
(i) in the case of the imputations pleaded in sub-paragraphs 9(c), 9(d), 9(e), 9(f) and 9(n), the comment of Mr Royce George;
(ii) in the case of the imputations pleaded in sub-paragraph 9(h), the comment of Mr Ted Burrow;
(iii) in the case of the imputations pleaded in sub-paragraph 9(k), the comment of Mr Angus Edwards;
(iv) in the case of the imputations pleaded in sub-paragraph 9(l), the comment of Mr David O'Leary."
8 The third defendant's comment defence is pleaded, relevantly, in the following terms:
"(d) that comment was the comment of the third defendant and/or alternatively:
(i) the comment of Mr Ben Fordham,
(ii) in the case of the imputations pleaded in sub-paragraphs 9(c), 9(d), 9(e), 9(f), and 9(n) the comment of Mr Royce George;
(iii) in the case of the imputations pleaded in sub-paragraph 9(h), the comment of Mr Ted Burrow;
(iv) in the case of the imputations pleaded in sub-paragraph 9(k), the comment of Mr Angus Edwards;
(v) in the case of the imputations pleaded in sub-paragraph 9(l), the comment of Mr David O'Leary."
9 Mr Fordham was the reporter. Messrs George (the fourth defendant), Burrow, Edwards and O'Leary were interviewed on the programme.
10 The fourth defendant's comment defence is pleaded, relevantly, in the following terms:
"(d) that comment was the comment of the fourth defendant."
11 From these pleadings it appears that: