Former Labor MP Craig Langdon to pay $80k in defamation damages over leaflet

Former Labor MP Craig Langdon has been ordered to pay a hefty fine after he wrongly labelled his respected political rivals as dishonest, totalitarian bullies.

Former Banyle mayor Craig Langdon at Darebin Parklands. Picture: Richard Serong

Former Labor MP and mayor of Banyule Craig Langdon has been ordered to pay $80,000 in damages to two Liberal rivals he defamed by publishing copies of a defamatory leaflet during the 2020 local government election campaign.

A County Court jury found Mr Langdon was responsible for distributing leaflets that smeared Liberal rival Jenny Mulholland and her son, David Mulholland and Judge Julie Clayton ordered the damages payout last week.

Ms Mulholland is a former Banyule councillor and mayor.

Mr Mulholland is a former Liberal candidate at state and federal elections.

Judge Clayton last week found Mr Langdon had only a limited role in distributing the leaflet, which suggested Ms Mulholland was power hungry, a bully, and dishonestly took money from a kindergarten to go on a trip to Perth, among other claims.

The leaflet further claimed both the Mulhollands were “stubbornly determined to create a totalitarian regime in the Banyule City Council”, were members of a “far right extremist organisation” and had attempted to fraudulently stack the Liberal Party Ivanhoe branch.

Former Banyule Mayor Craig Langdon (centre) in happier times. Picture: Josie Hayden

There was no evidence Mr Langdon authored the leaflets, only that he directed some of them to be distributed.

Ms Mulholland told the court earlier this year she felt “sick” when she first saw the leaflet, struggled to sleep afterwards, was embarrassed and humiliated.

She said she overheard people at a pub whispering about her, contemplated moving out of the area and has decided to never again run for elected office.

Mr Mulholland told the court he feared false allegations could now be “weaponised” against him, and that the leaflet ruined his election and employment prospects.

But Judge Clayton said she could not find the leaflet was responsible for the end of Ms Mulholland’s political career.

“ (Ms Mulholland) had been unsuccessful in her previous (2016) election campaign well prior to the leaflet and there is no evidence that her political fortunes had turned,” she said.

She also said the Mulhollands were respected within the Liberal Party.

“Both … continue to play active roles in the Liberal Party, including both having been elected to internal positions by their peers, which suggests any adverse views held by party members either do not continue, or are not significant,” Judge Clayton said.

She said many people would have thrown the leaflet away without reading it, as junk mail, or would have read it and ignored its contents.

She ordered Mr Langdon to pay Ms Mulholland $55,000 and Mr Mulholland $25,000.

She said she was “not satisfied there is evidence of a vendetta” by Mr Langdon against the Mulhollands.