Craig McLachlan to pay $2m after case dropped

Craig McLachlan has sensationally dropped a defamation case – which was over four years in the making – against his former co-star, Nine and the ABC.

Vanessa Scammell and Craig McLachlan outside court. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Craig McLachlan has dropped his four-year defamation case against his former co-star, Nine newspapers and the ABC, prompting a court order to pay costs estimated to be about $2m.

The television and musical theatre star said he was closing his case due to the “strain that this case has put on me and, more ­importantly, my family”.

“I cannot continue to place my family under that strain, and my own mental health will not withstand the continuing pressure,” he said on Friday.

“Ending the case now will ­finally bring to an end the four years we have endured since the publications were first made, as well as avoiding the need for other witnesses to have to endure the cross-examination process.”

McLachlan referred to the ­assault and indecent assault criminal charges – over which he was acquitted in 2020 – saying he looks forward to restoring his health and spending more time with friends and family.

The 56-year-old was suing his former co-star Christie Whelan Browne and the networks for defamation in the NSW Supreme Court.

On Friday Michael Hodge QC, barrister for the media outlets, told the court the defamation case would be dropped.

“We’ve just been given notice that Mr McLachlan is applying for leave to discontinue the proceedings,” Mr Hodge said, before the matter was adjourned.

The matter ­returned to court briefly just after 2pm where judge Carolyn Simpson dismissed the jury of four, and thanked it for being “a very valuable part of the administration of justice”.

“You may think that you’ve been wasting your time for two weeks listening to this evidence, and you won’t be called upon to make any decision in the case,” she said. “I can understand why you might think that, but that isn’t right.”

Justice Simpson then formally granted McLachlan permission to discontinue proceedings.

In 2019 the ABC and The Sydney Morning Herald published stories alleging he indecently ­assaulted, sexually harassed and bullied female performers during the 2014 musical The Rocky Horror Show.

Friday’s announcement came on the day the witnesses for the media outlets and Whelan Browne were to begin giving ­evidence.

In a statement, Whelan Browne said she was “traumatised” after coming forward in 2018.

“We came forward for no other reason than to protect the women performing in the 2018 production of the show. So they didn’t have to endure the same behaviour we did in 2014,” she said.

“I know that I haven’t seen the end of it. I have lost my feeling of safety in the world, knowing someone wanted so badly to damage me for speaking the truth.

“This was the result of simply trying to protect other women from the same behaviour.”

McLachlan did not appear in court on Friday, but his barrister Kieran Smark SC said they would not be opposing an order preventing the actor from taking further legal action over the same ­matters.

Over the past two weeks ­McLachlan had called witnesses before the jury.

Earlier this month, Mr Hodge told the jury the defendants would be calling 11 women to give evidence using the defence of truth and contextual truth.

“It is anticipated those 11 women will give evidence about what the defendants say are ­incidents of sexual harassment, indecent exposure, indecent ­assault, assault and bullying those women experienced at the hands of Mr McLachlan,” Mr Hodge told the court.

McLachlan had claimed the allegations were false.