Blog
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CSI Lismore: German backpacker’s efforts to prevent publication of book all in vain: Moran v Schwartz Publishing Pty Ltd [2014] WASC 334
In early 2005, the plaintiff, a German National with a working visa in Australia, was travelling along the east coast of Australia in a campervan with his German girlfriend of 6 and…
February 21, 2015 -
Facebook and Twitter damages music to teacher’s ears: Mickle v Farley [2013] NSWDC 295
Orange is a large rural town in Western New South Wales and its High School became a site for a landmark defamation verdict. Yes, this case happened a while ago, but in…
February 16, 2015 -
Defendants’ go all-in: Plaintiff calls their bluff and wins the $340,000 pot: Polias v Ryall & Ors [2014] NSWSC 1692
The plaintiff and four defendants were poker players used to playing high stakes games: hands worth thousands of dollars. In the middle of 2012, the plaintiff and the first defendant went to…
February 9, 2015 -
Google’s dream comes true: plaintiff fails because trial would cost too much to run: Bleyer v Google Inc [2014] NSWSC 897
Roland Bleyer alleged that Google Inc published seven items about him, three in the form of search results and others in relation to articles that those search results hyperlinked to. For instance,…
January 24, 2015 -
Mildura Water Corporation Appeal hosed down: Lower Murray Urban and Rural Water Corporation v Di Masi & Ors [2014] VSCA 104
In 2012, a jury in the Supreme Court of Victoria sat in Mildura, a small orange-picking town on the border of NSW, for 22 days (there were a further four days of…
January 21, 2015 -
420,000 reasons why Gallery Owner is no Racist: Cripps v Vakras [2014] VSC 279
In June 2009, two surrealist artists, Demetrios Vakras and Anne Raymond hired out gallery space at Guildford Lane Gallery for a 2-week exhibition. The operator of the gallery was Redleg Museum Services…
January 19, 2015 -
2014: That Was the Season That Was
First of all, a big mea culpa from myself. Yes, it is true that my efforts to maintain a proper updating of this website across 2014 have ranged from abysmal to downright…
January 17, 2015 -
Google: “I Tort I Misused Private Information”: Vidal-Hall & Ors v Google Inc [2014[ EWHC 13 (QB)
As everyone knows, Google knows everything. Google collates and compiles information on virtually every search ever done on every computer, and uses this information to create money from selling advertising space on…
January 30, 2014 -
Setka further set back by the Prime Minister in Court of Appeal: Setka v Abbott & Anor [2013] VSCA 345
John Setka is the Divisional Branch Assistant Secretary of the Victorian Branch of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU). On 10 February 2012, the now Prime Minister (then Leader…
December 4, 2013 -
Dank’s defamation juggernaut faces first hurdles: [2013] NSWSC 1122; [2013] NSWSC 1064
The biggest name in Australian sport this year is not a footballer, a cricketer or even an athlete. The biggest name in Australian sport is Dr Stephen Dank, a “sports scientist”. He…
September 2, 2013