Nationwide News has lost their appeal in the defamation suit against well-known actor Geoffrey Rush. Rush was awarded almost $2.9 million in damages last year over defamatory articles published by The Daily Telegraph in 2017.
The articles alleged that Rush acted inappropriately towards his colleague Eryn Jean Norvill during their production of King Lear by the Sydney Theatre Company. Rush denied the claims, and the Court agreed. Rush was awarded $2.9 million in damages, including $1.9 million for past and future economic loss, $850,000 in general and aggravated damages and $42,000 in interest. Nationalwide News appealed this decision, arguing that the damages awarded were excessive and argued that the original judge, Justice Wigney, made several legal errors.
The Full Federal Court of Australia dismissed Nationwide News's appeal. The Full Federal Court found that Justice Wigney's findings "are not glaringly improbably, contrary to compelling inferences or inconsistent with incontrovertible facts or other uncontested testimony."
For more information, please refer to this link: https://ab.co/2VF2BD4