https://au.news.yahoo.com/geoffrey-rush-wins-defamation-case-daily-telegraph-044929729.html?utm_source=Campaign_Monitor&utm_medium=Edm&utm_campaign=DailySnap_Newsletter&utm_term=DailySnap_Newsletter&ncid=dailysnapshotau_dailysnaps_yaptekbs7gs

"Geoffrey Rush has won his defamation case against a Sydney newspaper publisher and journalist over articles saying he’d been accused of inappropriate behaviour.

The 67-year-old actor had sued the Daily Telegraph’s publisher and journalist Jonathon Moran over two stories and a poster published in late 2017.

In Sydney’s Federal Court on Thursday, Justice Michael Wigney found Rush had been defamed.

“Nationwide News and Mr Moran did not make out their truth defence,” the judge said.

The Telegraph publications related to an allegation Rush behaved inappropriately toward a co-star – later revealed to be Eryn Jean Norvill – during a Sydney Theatre Company production of King Lear.

Justice Wigney on Thursday said he wasn’t persuaded Norvill’s evidence was “credible or reliable” while he accepted Rush’s testimony.

The judge ruled Rush was entitled to “aggravated damages” of $850,000. A further hearing will be held on May 10 to consider special damages for his economic loss.

That figure could run into many millions of dollars.

Justice Wigney said the conduct of the Telegraph and Moran in publishing the first defamatory article on November 30 in 2017 was “improper and unjustified”.

“Those articles were published in an extravagant, excessive and sensationalist manner,” he said.

“Nationwide and Mr Moran were reckless as to the truth or falsity of the imputations they in fact conveyed.”

Justice Wigney said it was a “recklessly irresponsible piece of sensationalist journalism of the worst kind – the very worst kind”.

It was difficult to avoid the conclusion that the article – headlined “King Leer” – was “calculated to damage”, the judge said, adding the impact on Rush was “devastating”.

Norvill was a defence witness in last year’s trial, telling the court Rush deliberately stroked the side of her breast during a preview performance when her character was dead onstage.

“It couldn’t have been an accident because it was slow and pressured,” she said.

He also stroked Norvill’s lower back backstage, made groping gestures toward her during rehearsal and would sometimes growl and call her yummy, she alleged.

Rush said it was possible he used the word yummy – which had “a spirit to it” – but otherwise denied the allegations, saying that he thought he and Norvill had enjoyed a “very sparky, congenial rapport”.

He became emotional when he said that to perform the death scene, he imagined “it was my own real-life daughter and that she’d been hit by a bus on the street near where we live … and I knew she was gone”.

The actor said the months following the publication of the articles had been the worst of his life."

the smellograph should get sued weekly. Mabe then they'll learn to stop lying so much

Maybe this will begin to stop this crap... five minutes fame.. a lifetime of never being cast again I trust...

Yes, it was never in doubt that if the Trial Judge accepted the evidence of Rush and his Witnesses that the Paper was going down.  That's how it played out.  Rush won the credibility stakes, and that was the end of the matter.

I hope he gets a mammoth award.  That front page "King Leer" depiction was absolutely malicious and invites no sympathy whatsoever.

Hmm ... these mammoth payouts have a habit of turning to dust.

e.g. Rebel Wilson case.

Captain Nemo wrote on Apr 12^th, 2019 at 2:44pm:

Hmm ... these mammoth payouts have a habit of turning to dust. e.g. Rebel Wilson case.

Rush/Wilson, chalk/cheese.

I don't know. I have always admired Rush. But on the court steps the other day the actress involved seemed to have the ring of truth in her mouth when she said, that the events in the theatre happened

I still wonder about the texts that Rush sent her

He has never denied sending them and they are sexually based

You've got to wonder

Still I think what the Telegraph did was downright disgusting and I'm glad they got hammered for it, they deserved to

The Daily Telegraph should be re named the Daily Muck Raker, making dollars out of people's tragedies in their private lives

red baron wrote on Apr 12^th, 2019 at 3:51pm:

I don't know. I have always admired Rush. But on the court steps the other day the actress involved seemed to have the ring of truth in her mouth when she said, that the events in the theatre happened I still wonder about the texts that Rush sent her He has never denied sending them and they are sexually based You've got to wonder Still I think what the Telegraph did was downright disgusting and I'm glad they got hammered for it, they deserved to The Daily Telegraph should be re named the Daily Muck Raker, making dollars out of people's tragedies in their private lives

Why do you have doubt?  Are you saying that your fleeting observation of a person (an actress mind you) through the prism of your TV set trumps the capacity of a Judge to observe a witness personally?  The Judge has all the advantages you don't have, and he had the same advantage with Rush and his Witnesses.  The man with the job, the professional who is paid to make decisions, has made the decision and now the rivers run again the Media.  Good.  What they did was at the very sharp end of the scale...far away from anything vanilla.

Time to pay the Piper.

He should sue those who accused him into poverty

It might slow down some of these meme shelas looking for fame and easy cash.

Valkie wrote on Apr 12^th, 2019 at 4:29pm:

He should sue those who accused him into poverty It might slow down some of these meme shelas looking for fame and easy cash.

That would be pointless.  They have no capacity to pony up.

Ivan Itch wrote on Apr 12^th, 2019 at 4:37pm:

Valkie wrote on Apr 12th, 2019 at 4:29pm: He should sue those who accused him into poverty It might slow down some of these meme shelas looking for fame and easy cash. That would be pointless.  They have no capacity to pony up.

Matters not
Sue them into poverty
Sue them and destroy their reputation
Sue them as examples, just like they try to use men as examples

Fair is fair

Sue them

.
  Friends in high places

Valkie wrote on Apr 12^th, 2019 at 4:41pm:

Ivan Itch wrote on Apr 12th, 2019 at 4:37pm: Valkie wrote on Apr 12th, 2019 at 4:29pm: He should sue those who accused him into poverty It might slow down some of these meme shelas looking for fame and easy cash. That would be pointless.  They have no capacity to pony up. Matters not Sue them into poverty Sue them and destroy their reputation Sue them as examples, just like they try to use men as examples Fair is fair Sue them

Sure.  Spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for nothing other than tokenism.

Ivan Itch wrote on Apr 12^th, 2019 at 4:37pm:

Valkie wrote on Apr 12th, 2019 at 4:29pm: He should sue those who accused him into poverty It might slow down some of these meme shelas looking for fame and easy cash. That would be pointless.  They have no capacity to pony up.

They could always work it off.......... the work's not hard....

I have connections in the film and stage industries.. many of the stories put about are pure flim-flam and often used to enhance an actor's rep.... any 'bad boy' always is supposed to be shagging everything in sight, even when his wife is on set with him every day, but it runs good in the press to suggest he is as virile as a ram on heat....