The Snitch: Zali Burrows launches action against Adam Houda
A prominent lawyer is claiming her reputation has been trashed in a tweet sent out by another high profile figure in the Sydney court scene.
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Two prominent criminal lawyers are set to go head to head in court in a defamation battle.
Zali Burrows has launched defamation action against rival lawyer Adam Houda claiming he trashed her reputation on Twitter.
Burrows filed the proceedings in Sydney District Court recently and the matter is set to land in court on August 20.
The full details of the case are yet to be revealed and Houda’s side are yet to file a defence with the court.
However Snitch can reveal Burrows made the move to sue Houda over a post on his Twitter account.
It is understood the case was sparked after Houda linked to a news article published by The Sydney Morning Herald about a court case that referenced Burrows in negative terms.
Burrows is now suing over the tweet.
When contacted, Burrows said: “The matter is currently before the court so it would be inappropriate for me to comment.”
Houda has hired defamation lawyer Mark O’Brien who said his client will be defending the case.
“It is a baseless claim and not valid at law because all my client did was tweet the Herald story that was a fair report of a court proceeding,”Mr O’Brien said.”I have written to Ms Burrows pointing out the flaws in her claim and have asked for the case to be discontinued.
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“She has also sued over people who have retweeted Mr Houda’s post, but at law he is not responsible for those —they are the retweeter’s obligation,” Mr O’Brien said.
Burrows is well known in the Sydney court scene and previously representing high profile former local politician Salim Mehajer.
Houda occupies a similar status in the legal fraternity and represented league star Blake Ferguson when he was convicted of indecently assaulting a woman at a Cronulla nightspot.
THE OTHER COVID-19 VICTIM
Addressing the court can be thirsty work, but it has resulted in barrister Philip Strickland SC becoming a COVID victim of a different kind.
Strickland was on his feet in the Supreme Court this week making a submission on behalf of his client, tax cheat Simon Anquetil, when he was struck by the need for a drink of water.
The court provides water for practitioners and Strickland grabbed a bottle from the bar table and took a swig, only to discover he had actually gulped some hand sanitiser.
The court had to adjourn while Strickland remedied his situation with some real water.
It turns out the court’s sanitiser bottles look very similar to water bottles, leading to Strickland‘s predicament.
Might be time for the court to go with a different brand of sanitiser.
PLUCKING INSANE
Some business names are so brilliant that you’d think the business could never fail.
Which brings us to Mother Clucker Charcoal Chicken Pty Ltd, which previously operated under the trading name of Forty Licks in the inner Sydney Suburb of Pyrmont.
The business name caught our eye when we were alerted to the fact that Mother Clucker had been put into liquidation recently.
Business records show the company was previously run by Anthony Joseph Mowad.
So when we had a closer look at his circumstances, it turns out Mowad is facing charges of kidnapping and assaulting a tenant who failed to pay their rent due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Police allege that Mowad and the property owner allegedly met the 24-year-old tenant at a Surry Hills reserve in June.
It is alleged they threatened then assaulted the tenant and held him captive until he‘d paid the outstanding rent in full.
Mowad is charged with detaining in company and is understood to be preparing to fight the charge.
We contacted his lawyer to ask if the charges resulted in the demise of Mother Clucker but we were assured the business failed for different reasons.
Got a snitch? Contact Ava.benny-morrison@news.com.au or Brenden.hills@news.com.au