Tamborine Mountain State High principal defamation case: Judge steps in to end ‘farcical’ cross-examination

A parent who is defending herself in a defamation case brought by a southeast Queensland high school principal has been slammed in court by the plaintiff’s barrister for her “farcical and deliberately embarrassing” line of questioning.

A GOLD Coast high school principal has made pig-snorting noises in court to demonstrate how one of the parents she is suing for more than $1 million for defamation behaved towards her.

Long-serving Tamborine Mountain State High principal Tracey Brose made the snorting sound in the witness box as she was cross-examined by one of the parents, Donna Baluskas.

A defamation trial in Southport District Court has heard that Mrs Baluskas and her husband Miguel made pig-snorting noises at Mrs Brose during a preliminary court hearing last year.

The court was told that Mrs Baluskas made the noises during an interaction with Mrs Brose in the courthouse toilets.

Donna Baluskas is defending herself in the defamation case brought by Tracey Brose. Picture: Adam Head

Cross-examining Mrs Brose today, Mrs Baluskas denied making the noises and asked the principal to demonstrate.

Mrs Brose’s barrister objected, saying the question was ‘embarrassing’. But the principal said she would demonstrate and snorted like a pig from the witness box.

Mrs Baluskas: “I suggest that I did not make those pig-snorting noises and that I was not even in the toilets?”

“I disagree on both,” Mrs Brose responded.

Mrs Baluskas also asked Mrs Brose about evidence that she gorged on chocolate bullets and put on 33kgs out of depression after she was allegedly defamed in social media posts.

Mrs Brose told the court she was ‘angry and disappointed’ at putting on weight she had lost and had bariatric surgery.

Tamborine Mountain State High Principal Tracey Brose. Picture: Adam Head

When Mrs Baluskas tried to asked Mrs Brose details of the supposed side-effects of over-eating chocolate bullets, Mrs Brose’s barrister Holly Blattman objected to the ‘farcical and deliberately embarrassing’ line of questioning.

Mrs Baluskas told Judge Catherine Muir that the whole case was trivial.

“I don’t want to be wasting tour time, your honour, I didn’t bring this case on, your honour,” she said.

A clearly annoyed Judge Muir refused to allow the questioning to continue.

Mrs Brose has launched the landmark legal action against the parents after she was allegedly defamed in posts on Facebook and a Change.org petition.

The petition was launched after Mrs Brose was mysteriously suspended from the school in February 2016.

The court has been told the reasons for the temporary suspension have never been revealed.