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...