Chaser star Julian Morrow given a legal dressing down

A judge has found the ABC star engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct, leaving him potentially facing a damages bill of $430,000.

Julian Morrow leaves the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney on Wednesday. Picture: Liam Mendes

A Supreme Court judge has found an ABC broadcaster engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct and acted in breach of his ­duties as a director.

Chaser star Julian Morrow is potentially facing a damages bill of more than $430,000, but has been awarded $35,000 in general and aggravated damages after it was found he was defamed by his former business partner Nick Murray.

Morrow’s company, Giant Dwarf, was in a joint venture with Mr Murray’s company, Cordell Jigsaw, from 2013 to 2018.

Judge James Stevenson also found Morrow lied during ­attempts to settle and breached a joint venture agreement between his company and Mr Murray’s.

Morrow – represented by high-profile barrister Sue Chrysanthou – submitted 26 affidavits sworn by a variety of personalities, including senator Kristina Keneally, Labor MP Tony Burke, commentator Norman Swan and ABC veteran Phillip Adams, who all attested to his good character.

The trial, held in November, lasted 10 days, with Morrow’s company claiming Cordell Jigsaw breached its contract by blocking it from making another series of consumer-rights show The Checkout.

Cordell Jigsaw claimed Giant Dwarf was deceptive and misleading about plans with the ABC in March 2019 for an extra series of the show, when Cordell Jigsaw was discussing the potential sale of a stake in the joint venture for $50.

Morrow showed no emotion as the judgment was handed down. Justice Stevenson said the joint-venture agreement meant that either company should have informed the other of any opportunity to produce a further series of The Checkout or any other consumer affairs show.

“By not informing Mr Murray of his dealings with the ABC during March and April 2019, Mr Morrow engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct,” Justice Stevenson said.

As soon as the share sales agreement was executed, Justice Stevenson said Morrow told the ABC “we should now proceed” to produce a seventh season of The Checkout – a “breach” of their agreement. “Mr Murray had no knowledge of Mr Morrow’s communications with the ABC, nor the advanced state of his negotiations with them,” Justice Stevenson said. “Mr Morrow, in effect, instructed the ABC not to inform Mr Murray of those matters.”

The Checkout share sale agreement between the two companies can now be rescinded.

Justice Stevenson ordered $35,000 in damages after it was found Mr Murray made false representations to ABC executives, suggesting Morrow had engaged in fraud and never paid for Cordell Jigsaw’s stake in the joint venture.

Speaking outside court, Mr Murray said the matter should “never have gone to court”.

“It’s just a ridiculous situation to be here, having spent all this money, three years later when that’s the result that we said would happen all along,” he said.

“A guy who was a lecturer in ethics and allegedly a champion of the consumer law … breached his duties and he engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct.”