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Defamation

This Month

Craig Wright, an Australian who used to claim he was bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, was given a suspended jail sentence.

Aussie bitcoin maverick avoids jail time. If he keeps his head down

A UK court gave Craig Wright, who has claimed he invented bitcoin, a one-year jail term for contempt. But his sentence was suspended for two years.

  • Hans van Leeuwen
Moira Deeming (left) with her barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC, outside the Federal Court in Melbourne during her defamation trial against John Pesutto.

Vic Libs must return to economic liberalism and social conservatism

The Moira Deeming disaster reflects the party’s domination by socially progressive moderates believing the path to winning is to out-Labor Labor.

  • Terry Barnes
Craig Wright at one of his previous court cases in London.

This Australian bitcoin maverick faces jail. But he’s gone AWOL

A UK court ruled Craig Wright was not cryptocurrency inventor Satoshi Nakamoto and told him to stop suing people. He now faces a contempt charge.

  • Updated
  • Hans van Leeuwen

November

Former PwC partners Wayne Plummer and Richard Gregg.

PwC Australia settles with three former partners for millions

The firm has entered into settlements worth millions with two partners forced to leave amid the tax leaks scandal and another former partner.

  • Edmund Tadros

October

Zali Burrows and Bruce Lehrmann.

Bruce Lehrmann ‘probably Australia’s most hated man’: his lawyer

A judge ruled the former Liberal staffer raped Brittany Higgins in 2019. Now on Centrelink, OnlyFans is his only prospect for work, his lawyer says.

  • Sam Buckingham-Jones
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September

Brittany Higgins is defending a defamation action launched by Senator Linda Reynolds.

Peta Credlin had hand in Higgins’ statement, trial told

Sky News political commentator Peta Credlin helped Brittany Higgins draft a statement outlining the former staffer’s plan to reform how parliament handled sexual harassment, a trial has been told.

  • Aaron Bunch
Liberal senator Linda Reynolds has sued former staffer Brittany Higgins for defamation.

Reynolds picked wrong target in Higgins defamation suit

Brittany Higgins’ barrister said she spoke out about her alleged rape in parliament to ensure nobody experienced a similar ordeal, not to traumatise her former boss.

  • Aaron Bunch

August

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Women Marise Payne during the first meeting of cabinet’s women’s taskforce in April.

Morrison feared ‘fatal outcome’ for Reynolds in Higgins saga

Scott Morrison told a court he saw Senator Linda Reynolds stressed during debate over Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations, and worried it would kill her.

  • Tom Rabe and Tom McIlroy
Former US house speaker Nancy Pelosi has called Paul Keating’s Taiwan comments “stupid”.

Keating takes swipe at Pelosi after she calls him ‘stupid’

Paul Keating says Nancy Pelosi doesn’t share Australia’s interests; Scott Morrison tells court he feared Linda Reynolds could have died. How the day unfolded.

  • Updated
  • Lucy Slade
Former PwC Australia acting chief executive Kristin Stubbins.

With friends like PwC, who needs enemies?

Kristin Stubbins does not seem assured her former employer necessarily has her best interests at heart.

  • Max Mason
Former minister Linda Reynolds arrives at the Supreme Court in Perth for the defamation trial, with husband Robert Reid, left, and lawyer Martin Bennett.

Reynolds’ claims ‘retraumatising’ Higgins, court told

Lawyers for Brittany Higgins have hit back at claims she cast Senator Linda Reynolds as a villain in an imaginary fairytale, calling them “harassing”.

  • Tom Rabe

June

Former PwC partner Richard Gregg.

PwC still paying for bungled tax leaks response

PwC is now paying the price for forcibly ushering several partners out the door.

  • Max Mason

June

AMP’s former head of advice Anthony ‘Jack’ Regan.

AMP’s royal commission executive sues The Australian newspaper

AMP’s former head of advice, “Jack” Regan, claimed an article imputed he misled ASIC and admitted to misleading ASIC during the Hayne banking royal commission.

  • Ronald Mizen

May

Former PwC partner Richard Gregg.

Former PwC partner sues firm for allegedly linking him to tax scandal

Richard Gregg alleges people have shunned and avoided him because of an implication by PwC that he was involved in the tax leaks scandal, when he was not.

  • Updated
  • Max Mason
Justice Michael Lee ordered Bruce Lehrmann to pay the vast majority of Ten’s legal bills, which include most of Lisa Wilkinson’s costs.

Ten and Wilkinson win order for Lehrmann to pay up

Justice Michael Lee ordered Bruce Lehrmann to pay most of Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson’s court costs – but had strong words for Ten’s conduct.

  • Sam Buckingham-Jones
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President of Network Ten, Beverley McGarvey.

Ten settles its Lehrmann bill, but from a shrinking purse

New accounts show Ten had almost $1 million set aside for litigation and legal bills before the Bruce Lehrmann defamation matter officially began.

  • Sam Buckingham-Jones
“Doomed to fail”: Bruce Lehrmann after the verdict in April.

Bruce Lehrmann given extension to appeal but will be forced to pay

The former Liberal staffer has appointed barrister Guy Reynolds, SC, to review his case. He has until May 31 to lodge an appeal.

  • Sam Buckingham-Jones
Bruce Lehrmann departs court after the verdict.

Judge in Lehrmann case slams Ten lawyer’s ‘misleading’ interviews

Justice Michael Lee criticises Ten’s lawyer as he determines how much Bruce Lehrmann should pay in costs; Albanese pledges almost $1 billion for domestic violence victims. Here’s how the day unfolded.

  • Updated
  • Tess Bennett

April

Bruce Lehrmann departs court after the verdict.

Bruce Lehrmann rejected offer to settle, should pay all costs: Ten

Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson offered to settle with Bruce Lehrmann in August last year. He rejected it within two hours.

  • Sam Buckingham-Jones
Brittany Higgins outside the Federal Court in Sydney last November, with partner David Sharaz, left, and lawyer Leon Zwier.

Higgins must accept there was no cover-up: Reynolds

Senator Linda Reynolds will proceed with her defamation lawsuit unless Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz accept Federal Court findings there was no cover-up of rape.

  • Ronald Mizen

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/defamation-1lz3