In these defamation proceedings multiple corporate and individual plaintiffs sued in relation to an article published on “WeChat”. The plaintiffs alleged that the publications gave rise to defamatory imputations and the court looked at whether the alleged imputations were conveyed. A particular issue arose in relation to the notion that one defendant, not principally responsible for publication, was nonetheless a ‘passive’ publisher. The first plaintiff was awarded damages defamation, including aggravated damages, against one defendant only in the sum of AUD 60,000 plus interest. All other plaintiffs were unsuccessful.
Rob Anderson QC appeared for the defendants, instructed by Nyst Legal.
The judgment is published here.