Major Cairns club at centre of $400,000 defamation claim
A manager at a well-known sports club has filed a $400,000 claim against a former Westcourt Uber driver who is alleged to have sent a series of emails making defamatory accusations.
Cairns
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cairns. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A MANAGER at a well-known sports club has filed a $400,000 claim against a former Westcourt Uber driver who is alleged to have sent a series of emails making defamatory accusations.
Lawyers acting for Cazalys Cairns Group general manager Jason Wale issued a concerns notice to Humphrey Hollins last month in reaction to a series of six emails sent this year to various recipients including Cazalys directors, Cairns councillor Rob Pyne, Cairns MP Michael Healy and Burdekin MP Dale Last.
According to Miller Bou-Samra Lawyers, Mr Hollins sent emails that falsely imputed a broad range of illegal activity by Mr Wale including that he facilitates Cazalys being used as a brothel, lacks honesty and takes sex holidays to Thailand.
“These imputations are false and grossly defamatory of our client and has caused, or is likely to cause serious harm to his reputation,” lawyer Robert Miller wrote in the concerns notice to Mr Hollins.
Mr Miller demanded that the Westcourt resident make amends and withdraw what was claimed via email within 28 days.
But Mr Hollins failed to do so.
On July 20 Miller Bou-Samra Lawyers filed for $400,000 in damages in the Cairns District Court and aggravated damages in the sum of $50,000.
The aggravated damages claim relates to an “attenuated sense of hurt, grievance and injury” alleged to have impacted Mr Wale.
“(And) the defendant’s unjustifiable failure to apologise and retract the imputations,” the claim states.
“The amount of general damages claimed is an amount sufficient to ensure that, the defamation having spread along the grapevine … is an amount sufficient to convince a person whom the publication was made, of the baselessness of the allegations.”
The emails complain about Mr Hollins’ bipolar and alcoholic former partner drinking and gambling at Cazalys.
Listed as the fourth publication in the claim, an email downloaded and read by four recipients including the Queensland Justice Department addressed further allegations made by Mr Hollins.
“The plaintiff (Mr Wale) allowed (Mr Hollins former partner), a person with two young children, a person banned from attending the Reef Casino and hospitalised for liver problems for excessive drinking, to attend Cazalys and drink to excess,” the claim read.
In the third of six emails Mr Hollins alleges Mr Wale was “instrumental in arranging for the former partner to be available to the plaintiff’s friends at high roller functions for sexual purposes” and breached the provisions of the Liquor Act and Gaming Act.
A first return date for the defamation action is yet to be made.
More Coverage
Originally published as Major Cairns club at centre of $400,000 defamation claim
Beaches house engulfed in flames
Firefighters were called to a suburban house blaze late last night in the Cairns northern beaches.
‘Appalling’: Health professionals furious at council’s fluoride survey
Health professionals from Cairns are collectively calling for greater community consultation on water fluoridisation, stating council surveying of 6 per cent of residents “doesn’t cut it.”