by Chris Merritt | Jul 19, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Defamation, Media Article
This month was supposed to mark the restoration of legal certainty after one of the most unfortunate decisions ever handed down by the High Court. The nation’s governments had agreed that something had to be done about the court’s 2021 decision in defamation...
by Chris Merritt | Apr 15, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Defamation, Media Article
There is now a real danger society will learn the wrong lessons from Network Ten’s resounding defamation win against Bruce Lehrmann – a man who stands condemned as a rapist.Mr Lehrmann is the author of his own ruin.He launched this civil case knowing there was a risk...
by Chris Merritt | Apr 5, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Defamation, Media Article
Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case is shaping up as something far more important: it could be a turning point in the way the media and the courts deal with breaches of confidence. And this is all due to an unlikely change agent: former Seven network producer Taylor...
by Chris Merritt | Mar 6, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Defamation, Media Article
In a rational world, the defamation dispute between Linda Reynolds and Brittany Higgins would be settled out of court with a face-saving compromise.In this case, the cost of compromise would far exceed the fortune in legal fees confronting these women during a court...
by Chris Merritt | Jul 20, 2023 | Chris Merritt, Defamation, Media Article
In order to make sense of the Ben Roberts-Smith case, one important point needs to be kept in mind: this was not a war crimes trial or a murder trial – at least not officially. Allegations of murder and war crimes were at the heart of the argument. But the...
by Chris Merritt | Feb 17, 2023 | Chris Merritt, Commentary, Defamation, Freedom of Speech, Media Article
On February 7 The Australian Financial Review lost a defamation case. Some saw it as an attack on journalism. This seems to be how it was viewed by Michael Stutchbury, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief. He said the loss “highlights how Australia’s defamation laws pose a...
