Mark Latham rejected $20,000 settlement offer from fellow MP Alex Greenwich

A controversial MP refused a hefty offer to settle his lawsuit with a fellow politician over a “vulgar” tweet, court documents have revealed.

Mark Latham rejected an offer to settle his lawsuit with fellow MP Alex Greenwich for $20,000, court documents have revealed.

The Sydney MP launched defamation proceedings against the controversial and then newly independent Mr Latham in May last year following a graphic and homophobic tweet.

In a statement of claim, Mr Greenwich alleged Mr Latham painted him as “not a fit and proper person” to be in parliament because he “engages in disgusting sexual activities”.

Mr Latham defended the lawsuit, with his barrister telling the court that the ex-One Nation MP was defending himself and the comments needed to be read in context of an attack from Mr Greenwich.

Mark Latham rejected an offer to settle his lawsuit with fellow MP Alex Greenwich over a graphic social media post. Picture: NewsWire / Christian Gilles

In April last year, Mr Greenwich’s lawyer Nicholas Stewart sent a concerns notice – the first step in defamation action – to Mr Latham, Mr Greenwich said in an affidavit that was released by the court on Monday.

The legal letter contained a settlement offer and said Mr Greenwich would not proceed with the lawsuit if Mr Latham issued a public apology.

The legal letter, which was contained in a bundle of documents released by the courts, demanded that Mr Latham post a public apology saying: “On 30 March 2023, I posted a tweet about Alex Greenwich. I made further statements about Mr Greenwich that were published in the Saturday Telegraph on 1 April 2023.

“I unreservedly retract and withdraw both that tweet and those statements. I unreservedly apologise to Mr Greenwich for the hurt and distress caused to him by my communications.”

The settlement offer also included the condition that Mr Latham cover Mr Greenwich’s legal expenses up until that point and pay $20,000.

Mr Latham’s lawyer Danny Eid responded by saying the settlement offer was rejected.

Mr Eid said in his response that the tweet was not defamatory, nor was it defamatory to accuse someone of engaging in a homosexual sexual act.

In his closing submissions to the court last week, Mr Greenwich’s barrister Matt Collins KC said Mr Latham’s tweet ignored Mr Greenwich as an MP with a “proud legislative list of legislative achievements” and reduced him to a “filthy sex act”.

“It caricatured him, it exposed him to ridicule,” Dr Collins said.

“It led in the real world to people saying that they think about him every time they go to the toilet.”

Alex Greenwich claims he was defamed by Mr Latham’s tweet. Picture: NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Mr Latham’s barrister Kieran Smark SC, in his closing remarks to the court, reiterated that Mr Latham was “defending” himself by publishing the “crass and vulgar tweet”.

Mr Smark said his client was responding to comments made by Mr Greenwich to the Sydney Morning Herald in which he called Mr Latham a “disgusting human being”.

He asked the court to consider the “context” in which the tweet was made.

“His tweet is not just what’s below, it’s the whole thing and the context … The context is a political one, where this very strong attack is made (referencing to Mr Greenwich’s comments calling Mr Latham ‘disgusting’),” he said.

Following a trial last month, Justice David O’Callaghan has reserved his decision on the matter.

Originally published as Mark Latham rejected $20,000 settlement offer from fellow MP Alex Greenwich