Adelaide Federal Court to hear defamation case between Senators Sarah Hanson-Young and David Leyonhjelm
THE bitter public argument between Senator David Leyonhjelm and SA Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young over allegedly defamatory remarks will head to court on Thursday.
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THE bitter public spat between Senator David Leyonhjelm and SA Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young over allegedly defamatory remarks will head to court on Thursday.
Senator Hanson-Young filed legal action against Senator Leyonhjelm, accusing him of causing “considerable harm to me and my family”.
The proceedings will be held in Adelaide’s Federal Court, where Senator Leyonhjelm will seek to have Senator Hansen-Young’s claim struck out.
Lawyers for Senator Leyonhjelm have drawn attention to allegations Senator Hanson-Young, made when she said “he’s slut shaming me” in a July interview.
In his defence documents, Senator Leyonhjelm stated the public “slut shaming” accusation were her words, not his, and that they “intended to, and did achieve a particular resonance” among Australians.
“For those who had not previously encountered the expression ‘slut shaming’, the applicant’s own words were ambiguous and confusing,” the document stated.
“The applicant’s own words substantially drowned out the matters sued upon.”
Senator Hanson-Young had accused Senator Leyonhjelm of spreading defamatory comments “in order to hold her up to public shame and disgrace” to a mass audience, court documents claim.
Her statement of claim, obtained by The Advertiser last month, showed Senator Hanson-Young was suing Senator Leyonhjelm over comments made in four different forums, including Facebook, Sky News, 3AW radio and ABC’s 7.30 program.
Her lawyers also argued that his comments were made to a “mass audience, which he knew included (her) child and family”.
Senator Leyonhjelm, in court documents, has claimed that he spoke the words attributed to him but denies the alleged imputations.
His lawyer will argue the claim should be struck out because it doesn’t specifically plead any defamatory imputations. Senator Leyonhjelm will also plead that she “made repeated public statements promoting herself… as a champion of the rights of women, and especially of women who are victims of ‘slut-shaming’”, following their controversy.
Court documents also state that the Liberal Democrats and the Greens are at opposite ends of the political spectrum, so it is unlikely she “will suffer any harm”.
Senator Hanson-Young has previously told The Advertiser she would have preferred Senator Leyonhjelm apologise and acknowledge how hurtful and damaging his comments were but he did not do so.
Originally published as Adelaide Federal Court to hear defamation case between Senators Sarah Hanson-Young and David Leyonhjelm
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