Wagners 'can win' Alan Jones defamation case

THE Wagner family can win a $10 million defamation case that includes Alan Jones and The Australian newspaper columnist Nick Cater.

THE Wagner family can win a $10 million defamation case that includes Alan Jones and The Australian newspaper columnist Nick Cater.

That is according to experienced defamation barrister Bruce McClintock SC, who said the outcome of the defamation case hinged on the findings of the Grantham flood inquiry.

That inquiry found that a quarry wall owned by the Wagners at the time of the Grantham floods did not contribute to the death of 12 people.

"If they prove the facts that Walter Sofronoff found (at the Grantham flood inquiry), they will win the case and one would think that Walter Sofronoff, being an eminent and highly experienced lawyer, would have gotten it right, and so it would be highly likely they will be able to prove it," Mr McClintock told Media Watch.

Mr Jones has not commented on the defamation case except to say he was aware of it.

"I can't say much because I haven't seen any of these papers at all but what I can say is that consistent with everything I do on this program I believe that at all times I was speaking in the public interest, articulating the concerns of those who have no one to speak for them." he said on his 2GB program The Alan Jones Breakfast Show.

"Beyond that, I can't and won't be commenting."

Lawyers for Denis Wagner, and his three brothers Joe John and Neil, filed the suit last week, seeking damages of $2.5m from each of the four defendants.

They are Mr Jones, Radio 4BC Brisbane and parent company Harbour Radio, and Mr Cater.

Originally published as Wagners 'can win' Alan Jones defamation case